A NEW action group has been launched to fight plans for a larger Tesco in Ledbury.

Ledbury Opposes Tesco Supermarket (LOTS) has been formed in opposition to a proposed store on Leadon Way.

The group was formed last week and will hold their first meeting tomorrow (Friday) at Burgage Hall from 6pm.

The move follows a two day consultation by the retailer into plans for a Belmont-size store on the site of Ledbury Welding.

Many people who attended the event expressed concerns about the effect of a larger store on town centre trade.

LOTS was formed by Ledbury resident Rich Hadley, who has also launched a corresponding Facebook group.

He said: “I’m not anti-Tesco. I shop there regularly and in other places in Ledbury and I value having them in the town.

“We just don’t want to be steamrollered into this kind of development because we value what we’ve got right now.”

Tesco says the proposed relocation from its current and “cramped” Orchard Lane store is because of demand for a wider range of goods and services.

The company believes a larger store will keep shoppers in Ledbury and will create 75 jobs while safeguarding its current 125-strong workforce.

Dozens of people who attended the Market Theatre consultation enquired about jobs, with several handing over CVs.

But Ledbury traders’ association chairman Annette Crowe said residents needed to follow Tenbury Wells’ example, where locals fought similar plans and won.