MAJOR supermarkets are gearing up to woo market town shoppers in Kirkby Lonsdale and Carnforth, writes Jeremy Craddock.

Booths is making a fresh bid to open a food store in Kirkby Lonsdale and has submitted a revised and scaled-down application to South Lakeland District Council following the failure of an earlier scheme.

Meanwhile, Safeway's efforts to trade in Carnforth come under the spotlight on Monday when Lancaster City Council considers plans for a store on Lancaster Road.

But despite massive support for the scheme from residents and traders, LCC's planning committee is set to refuse the application on the grounds it would harm Carnforth's town centre trade.

The Booths supermarket scheme in Kirkby Lonsdale continues to divide the town. Traders are to continue their vociferous opposition, while Kirkby Lonsdale Parish Council this week voted 4-2 in favour of the amended scheme.

Richard Day, chairman of Kirkby Lonsdale Chamber of Trade, said: ''Supermarkets have destroyed the fabric of all small towns where they have been opened. Nobody's saying this will destroy our town, but traders don't want to take that chance.''

Kirkby Lonsdale mayor Tim Venys said: ''Councillors were quite impressed that Booths had taken on board what planners had said about the size of the building.''

Booths director Neil Standing said the firm had tried to address concerns about the scale of an earlier plan for a Kirkby Lonsdale store.

The new plan has been reduced by 15 per cent, is two storey instead of three, with less floor space, fewer car parking spaces, and a smaller roundabout providing access from the A65.

In Carnforth, in addition to the Safeway plan, city planners are awaiting more information on Booths' plans to expand its Scotland Road store and Tesco's desire to open a store near Pond Street.

Carnforth mayor Judith Newton welcomed Safeway's plans for the town, saying competition was needed, particularly for single parents like herself, who would benefit from Safeway's prices.

And she applauded the efforts of residents Amanda Atkinson and Jackie Mackay, who have collected almost 2,300 signatures in favour of the scheme and are planning to bus supporters to the LCC planning meeting.

Carnforth Chamber of Trade this week gave its support to the Safeway plan, having opposed the earlier one. Trader Keith Moore said: ''I think now there's general feeling that Carnforth could benefit from two supermarkets to hold shoppers in the town and stop them going to Kendal or Lancaster.

''Safeway would give them an alternative to Booths, but the chamber is generally in favour of Booths' expansion, too.''

He added that traders supported the Safeway scheme over the Tesco's because ''they were first in''.

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