CAMPAIGNERS who have waged a long-running battle against Tesco say the district council's latest blueprints prove the company's controversial plans for a giant supermarket in the centre of St Albans are dead in the water.

The authority's latest proposals, incorporated in a draft planning guidance document now under formal consultation, rule out a giant supermarket in the London Road/Alma Road area, delighting campaigners who have staged a vigorous battle against the development.

Instead, the council suggests a new primary school or housing for the decaying site and earmarks other "more suitable" locations within the city centre and on the fringes of St Albans for a major supermarket.

Future planning aplications will have to comply with the document, known as the Local Development Framework Core Strategy.

It states: "This is not considered to be a suitable site for a new foodstore. There are traffic and conservation objections and there would be few linked trips between this out-of-centre site and the city centre.

Also, if a city centre or edge-of-centre foodstore site cannot be found, it would be better to find a location in the north of the city, where there are no superstores at present.

"The council considers that the London Road/Alma Road site should be used mainly for housing development or possibly a primary school."

The council is pressing for a city centre supermarket in Drovers Way, west of St Peter’s Street, or within the Civic Centre area, east of St Peter’s Street.

Simon Hepburn, who spearheads action group Stop Tesco, told the Review: "Stop Tesco is very pleased with this report. In particular we would point to the statement 'Considerable opposition was generated over the possible new food store locations and some respondents questioned the need for another store' as one that shows local feelings still running strongly about Tesco.

"While the report's conclusions are excellent, the land is still decaying in Tesco's hands, as the ongoing issue with squatters in Inkerman Road shows.

"As the rest of the report shows this is very useful land that would be an excellent site for a much needed primary school or housing. We hope that Tesco will start to consider its alternatives rather than wasting even more time in the futile pursuit of a supermarket."

If a suitable city centre site cannot be identified, however, the council has suggested disused land in Harpenden Road, behind St Albans former fire station, or Harpenden Road behind the Texaco filling station as possible locations for a large superstore.

The Review is awaiting comment from Tesco.