BUDGET supermarket chain Lidl has confirmed it is looking at sites in a town - and the move has sparked a fierce debate.
The chances of another supermarket opening in Ulverston have been high for a few years now but nothing has actually come to fruition.
Now Lidl has confirmed it is actively searching for suitable sites in the Ulverston area.
A spokeswoman for Lidl said: "We are looking for sites in Ulverston but have nothing confirmed as yet."
Whether or not another supermarket should open up in the town has divided local opinion for years.
Some believe it would be the death of the small independent stores scattered around the town but others think it's time that Ulverston got another supermarket.
Ulverston town councillor Brenda Marr said: "I think we are ready for a supermarket in this town and a good-quality supermarket that is reasonably priced is definitely needed.
"Not everybody has a car to run up and down to Barrow and sometimes it costs £7-£8 to have your food delivered.
"I don't think it will have that much of an impact on the town centre shops."
The former chairman of Keep Ulverston Special, Cllr Colin Pickthall, also agrees that Lidl could be good for the town.
He said: "It would be far better to have a Lidl or an Aldi than to have one of those giant supermarkets in the town.
"I think the shops in the town centre will be able to stand that sort of competition.
"It would be a solution to a problem that has divided the town. I would not be hostile to that sort of development especially as it wouldn't be a 24-hour outlet."
One of the business owners who has been against a supermarket coming to the town is Doug Gillam from Gillams Tearooms in Market Street.
He said: "I think the town is doing really well at the moment and all the shops are full, I'm not sure going down the same road that other towns have is the right decision for Ulverston.
"I think it would definitely affect certain businesses in town and the market.
"I think we can do without it but I do understand why people want a supermarket here.
"I just think that Kendal and Barrow have gone very far down that road and their town centres are a lot worse off for it. I don't want that to happen to Ulverston."
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