A PROJECT that was first mooted seven years ago and split Tenbury down the middle comes to fruition today (Thursday, April 27).

The new Tesco store on the former cattle-market site will open its doors to customers.

It follows a special opening for VIP guests and suppliers yesterday evening (Wednesday, April 26).

In seven years, the store has divided opinion in the town with some welcoming the project as providing vitally needed jobs and bringing people in the town while others have predicted dire consequences for other shops in the market town.

The project has left families divided, left members of the town’s Chamber of Trade split and resulted in a difference opinion between Phil Grove and Tony Penn, Tenbury’s two representatives on Malvern Hills District Council.

Phil Grove, who now leads Malvern Hills District Council, was a strong opponent of the Tesco store while Tony Penn has always been a strong supporter.

The two men found themselves speaking on opposite sides of the debate in a packed and impassioned planning meeting held at Tenbury High School.

Incredibly, the first public meeting about the store took place in the community centre alongside The Regal Cinema on the eve of the General Election in 2010.

There followed a lengthy planning process in which Tesco withdrew a scheme in order to come up with a new design more in fitting with the town.

Tesco claimed that the store would create up to 150 new full and part-time jobs.

Opponents of the store warned about the impact upon other local shops and businesses and predicted that the development would result in jobs losses amongst existing businesses and also change the character of the town.

Three years of delay followed the granting of the planning permission as Tesco grappled with financial problems and there was widespread belief that the project would be dropped.

However, Tesco bosses including chief executive Dave Lewis reaffirmed their commitment to Tenbury and maintained that a store would be built.

In the late summer of 2016, it was announced that work on the store would begin. After clearing of the site, the construction began in October.

It was originally announced that the store would open in February and the recruitment of staff began earlier this year.

As part of the planning agreement, Tesco agreed to fund part of the town-centre improvements but this was put back more than two years while the supermarket chain refused to commit to a starting date.

When this work finally started, it fell behind schedule and the opening date that had been set for the end of February was put back until the end of April although staff who had been appointed were allocated to other stores.

Tesco will also be providing nearly £100,000 to the Tenbury Transport Trust to support local minibus services.

It will also allow parking at the store for a limited period so that people can visit other shops and businesses in the town.

Tesco is also helping to improve the riverside walk behind the store.