Excellent comment Johnno. Agree with every word. Although, I am probably what you would call an "off comer", we're not all the same you know. ;)

The town needs a boost like this to give the place a kick up the wotsit. If whichever store 'wins' and the independents work together instead of fighting each other it will benefit everyone.

All of these arm-chair experts commenting here, from both sides, why aren't you on the council fighting for your cause? It's been discussed for over a year now, closer to two in fact, you could've been elected and showed them who's boss. Except it'd mean getting out of that arm-chair wouldn't it? Pathetic.

If the KUS brigade don't want to shop in any supermarkets then they don't have to. However, they should not be allowed to dictate what other people should do and how they should spend their hard earned cash. The KUS brigade want us to return to wearing shawls and clogs to walk on the hallowed cobbled streets, this is supposed to be a democratic country where everyone has a right to speak their mind. The vast majority of people I have spoken to regarding Sainsbury's are in favour of it coming to Ulverston as they cannot afford to shop in the "quaint" little shops any more. There is no way that anyone can buy all they need from the shops in Ulverston at the prices they charge. Some people are experiencing very difficult times and are even resorting to "Food Banks" to survive, shopping in the specialist shops in Ulverston is not the answer for the vast majority of people!

Don't recall Pickthall banging on about keeping Ormskirk special when he was MP there, but then Ormskirk isn't in Cumbria surrounded by pretty hills.

I am intrigued at the comments regarding Sainsburys. It would be good for Ulverston but a Waitrose would be better of course.
Remember the League of Gentlemen quote' This is a local shop for local people, we will have no trouble or strangers here'.
Keep up the good work.

Agree with the vast majority of posters, Ulverston is no more "special" than any other town and certainly needs Sainsbury's. KUS are largely a bunch of middle class outsiders who are more concerned with image than with reality. They do not want a dirty great shop marring the "quirky, speciality, individual" shopping scene artificially created by them and the idiots who write tourist literature. They should realise that most of the towns existing shops are particularly useless for real people!

Lets take a "walk" along Market St. Start down by the roundabout and walk up, Tattoo shop, bric a brac, mens clothes, herbalists, bakers, tea rooms, posh grocer, high end coffee shop, picture framer and knick knacks, bookshop, tea room, video rentals, florist, Boots, jewellers, speciality sweets, ladies clothes, travel agents, Tesco, hairdressers, hobbicrafts, speciality bakers, opticians.

Turn round, go back down Market St, Hairdresser, takeaway food, pine furniture, Takeaway food, Bible shop, bookies, bakers(!!??), optician, greengrocers, Charity shop, mountain gear shop, pottery, newsagent, financial advisor, co-op, butcher, health foods.

And so on around all the other streets, maybe 2 shops will be affected by Sainsburys. The greengrocers, described elsewhere as "iffy" whose idea of Local produce seems mainly to be Morocco and Malawi and a butchers which is excellent but outrageously expensive and can be as it has little competition.

I have lived here all my life (50+ yrs), it is not "special", it is becoming more and more pretentious as it becomes a haven for off comers who want to turn it into something it never has been. So bring on Sainsbury's and Aldi and Lidl if need be.

By driving to Barrow for the shopping you are letting another big corporation fleece you all. That would be the likes of Shell, BP then as you fill up your cars to travel there and back, never mind what you spend on the actual shop. Well, do your shopping in Ulverston - good luck getting a trolley around the miniscule Co-op. Or why not go to Booths - lovely store, but you'll pay through the nose for basic stuff, same with the chichi independent shops in town. How about Tesco? Not much better there, pick up some fags, booze sweeties and think about how special Ulverston is.

It has been sad to see the decline of Ulverston over the last 20 years; many of its long established shops have now gone - Salmons cafe, Atkinsons books, Walter Wilson and Gretorex model shop. Some wonderful general provisions merchants, too including the one which was housed in the present Mail office and the one based in what is now the florists. The shops we have left aren't nearly as special and many of the so called residents are from out of town and have a much more middle class perspective which doesn't help.

John speaking as a life long Ulverstonian who are you to tell us what we do and don't deserve? It's true to say some people here think too much of themselves but that happens everywhere - it's a fact of life. You have a very narrow minded way of thinking if you tar everyone with the same brush.

Much has been said of the Old Brewery site and I recall an application being submitted recently in what seemed to be a knee jerk reaction to sainsbury's plan but I can find no reference to it on SLDC planning pages.
Are we now to believe that there is in fact no existing alternative plan to Sainsbury's and all we are getting is constant prevarication by a council that is totally out of it's depth. Perhaps the usually vocal Peter Thornton ( SLDC Leader) could enlighten us.