SUPERMARKET giant Tesco’s plans to open another multi-million-pound store have divided a town.

The company opened two new stores in Oxford city centre last week, but was turned down for another in Abingdon Road.

Now Faringdon traders are worried about its plans for an out-of-town supermarket.

Vale of White Horse District Council is due to make a decision in September over whether to allow the store in Park Road, on the outskirts of Faringdon.

Tesco says it is “much needed”, and three-quarters of 350 residents who attended a public exhibition earlier this year back its plans.

But town centre traders fear a Tesco supermarket would kill off small businesses and drive shoppers away from the town centre.

Budgens boss Simon Tiensa, who has planning permission to extend his Marlborough Street shop, says he will have to abandon his plans if Tesco moves in.

He added: “If the evidence of other town centres is anything to go by, Tesco’s one-stop-shop will suck Faringdon dry.

“Tesco and the other supermarket giants may claim they are creating new jobs, but they never take into account jobs lost elsewhere in the town when local businesses go to the wall.”

Denise Palmer, of Presentation Gifts in London Street, said: “Everyone is going to go there. It will kill the town. It has been proven time and time again.”

Trevor Wynn, from The Nut Tree in Cornmarket, added: “We have nice little shops and nice little trade. There are a lot of examples of small towns that have been decimated by big supermarkets.”

Faringdon Chamber of Commerce chairman Nick Elwell said people would abandon the town centre because of free parking at the supermarket.

But the town’s deputy mayor Mike Wise said “the great silent majority” were in favour of the new store.

He added: “The worry is it will change the dynamic of the town. But I think there are two types of shoppers; those who shop on foot and those who drive.

“Those who drive don’t go into the town centre anyway.”

Tesco says more than 80 per cent of Faringdon residents already travel out of town to do their main food shop.

Spokeswoman Melanie Chiswell said: “Our new supermarket is designed to encourage them to stay in Faringdon for their food shopping and they can combine this with visits to existing town centre shops.

“We believe our site is the best available location in the town and we now have a scheme that can deliver a much-needed new foodstore for the people of Faringdon.”

Tesco now has 24 stores across Oxfordshire.