A petition fighting plans to turn a boarded up Yarm pub into a supermarket has already been signed by around 900 people.
As reported, developers want to convert the former Layfield Arms, on Davenport Road, into a small supermarket.
The pub was originally opened in the 1980s as The Harvester and in its early days was a favourite for revellers on their way to the Tall Trees Hotel and MacMillans nightclub.
The operator of the shop has yet to be confirmed but it is believed that the Co-op is one of the high street names interested.
But a group has been formed to fight against the change, fearing it could spell the end of their local Lifestyle convenience store. The group also want to see their local pub reopened.
Campaigner Laura Stubbs, 29, said: “We want to protect our corner shop, our local shop, where this development will have a detrimental affect on his family business.
“We would also be gutted to lose the pub. It only closed in November, but its been closing on and off for the last two years.
“There are a lot of loyal customers around here.”
As well as setting up the petition the campaigners have delivered 1,500 leaflets to local houses and formed a committee to apply for asset of community value for the pub.
Laura, a farm groundperson, added: “There is the potential of losing both the pub and the shop, it would be such a bad loss.”
A planning application has been submitted to Stockton Council relating to issues such as external alterations including the introduction of an ATM cash machine and alterations to the Layfield Arms car park entrance.
But Yarm councillor Andrew Sherris, a Stockton borough and Yarm town councillor, is concerned that recent changes in planning law could enable the supermarket to go ahead without a change of use application to the council.
“I can share many residents’ concerns that due to the Government relaxing the rules a pub can change to a supermarket without a planning application and this severely limits any comments that local residents living nearby can make,” he said.
“We need to look very carefully at such things as the opening times, security of the car park and whether the introduction of a cash machine can be limited to shop hours, otherwise residents will be disturbed by motorists pulling up at all times of the night.”
Prism Planning, agents for the developer, said it was hoped the application would be determined by the end of March, with the new shop potentially ready to open in May.
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