ONE of the strongest supporters of the plan of Tesco to build in Tenbury is resigned to further delay to the scheme.

Tony Penn, who represents Tenbury on Malvern Hills District Council, has always been a strong supporter of Tesco coming to the town believing that the plan to build on the former Cattle Market site would be a major boost.

But now he acknowledges the growing frustration at the delay to the project and believes it could be 2017 at the earliest before there is any further progress.

“My understanding is that it is not in the programme for next year that starts in February,” said Tony Penn, who is also a former holder of the planning portfolio on Malvern Hills District Council.

“However, I am still hopeful that the project will eventually go ahead and who knows it may be slotted in earlier.”

At the beginning of this year Dave Lewis, the chief executive of Tesco, wrote to the local Member of Parliament Harriett Baldwin and councillors re-affirming the intention of the store to go ahead with its plans for Tenbury.

Writing in January in a letter sent to prominent people in the town he said that tough decisions had to be made as he works to improve the economic performance of Tesco including a decision not to go ahead with 49 planned new stores.

But he continued by reaffirming the commitment to Tenbury.

“I am conscious that you may see this news and be concerned about the future of our plans in Tenbury Wells. However, I would like to reassure you that it remains our intention to open our planned store here. We continue to believe that the store would provide a valued service to the local community and we know that many people are keenly anticipating the opening.

“We are looking forward to bringing new jobs and investment to Tenbury Wells and providing local customers with the best we have to offer.”

But since then there has been no further progress and a bid by Harriett Baldwin, the MP for West Worcestershire that includes Tenbury, to commit to starting work on a section of flood defences linked to the project has got nowhere.

Talks between the Tenbury Museum and Tesco about the old fire station on the Cattle Market site also appear to have stalled.

The failure to make progress is also holding back the second stage of a project to improve the town centre and causing problems for the Tenbury Transport Trust as they were hoping Tesco would help with the funding of additional services.

It is now more than five years since the prospect of a new store creating 150 new jobs was first muted.

The scheme split the town and has suffered a series of delays initially because of planning difficulties and more recently as a result of the supermarket giant facing financial problems.

At present the position of Tesco is that it will provide further information when it becomes available.