BUSINESS owners and residents of Helmsley have warned that the possibility of a Tesco store coming to the town would be the death of it.

The supermarket chain is interested in opening a small store in the town hall, in the space currently occupied by the library.

Chairman of the town hall trustees, John Buffoni, said the library is under threat because of council cuts and is already looking for a cheaper space to relocate to in the town.

“The library is looking for another venue because it is absolutely vulnerable at the moment and it just isn’t sustainable and we are working with them to do that,” he said.

“It is a fantastic library which serves the community and visitors to Helmsley but it is not sustainable. I worked for years on behalf of the town hall to get the library and I am very disappointed that circumstances and the economy has forced this upon us.”

Mr Buffoni said that although there are no definite plans, once the library moves out, the town hall will need to find another source of income to keep the building going.

He said: “There is an offer being made by Tesco, but it is not finalised, it may come to something or it may, not but it has caused a lot of angst.”

One local business owner, who did not wish to be named, said he was concerned that if Tesco came to the town hall it would encourage other national high street chains or supermarkets to follow suit. “It would become like any other market town and it would die. Once you get something global like Tesco coming in, it sets precedent for others to come in to the town.”

The owner of the Cotton House café, David Elkington, said the arrival of a Tesco could lead to independent shops in Helmsley losing trade and eventually closing.

“A lot of tourists come because of the independent nature of the town and I think it would cause some financial problems for some of the shops,” he said.

A number of businesses are asking people to sign petitions against the proposals and David said about 95 per cent of people who have visited his café had signed it.

He said: “A lot of town high streets can be generic, but ours is completely different, we are a unique market town.”

The town hall, which was given to the people of Helmsley by the late Earl of Feversham, is managed by the town hall trustees who are due to meet this week to discuss the potential plans.

A spokesman for Tesco said: “Tesco is working with the Helmsley Town Hall trustees on a sustainable future for the building and community space. This will involve a proposal for a new store to serve Helmsley. We will be sure to fully consult residents on our plans and we will provide further details on the consultation and what we are proposing in the coming weeks. We know that any design must be sympathetic to the town and the building and I look forward to talking to residents about our proposals soon.”

If Tesco was to go ahead with their application, said to be a Tesco Express store, the firm will have to submit a planning application to the North York Moors National Park Authority for the change of use of the ground floor of the town hall.

Permission would also need to be granted from English Heritage because the building is grade II- listed.