ANGRY campaigners today criticised the shock decision to give the go-ahead to the controversial Tesco Town development for Glasgow's West End.

ANGRY campaigners today criticised the shock decision to give the go-ahead to the controversial Tesco Town development for Glasgow's West End.

The reporter who chaired the public inquiry was condemned for his "inexplicable" decision, which could pave the way for a giant supermarket and almost 900 flats.

Britain's biggest supermarket chain had lodged an appeal after council chiefs in Glasgow had failed to decide whether to allow the scheme in the Beith Street area of Partick to go ahead.

The appeal led to the Scottish Government appointing Michael Culshaw to head a public inquiry.

The Evening Times revealed last week that he has since ruled that the so- called Tesco Town scheme could go ahead - despite objections from more than 2400 protesters.

The decision has stunned campaigners with STOP - Stop Tesco Owning Partick - who are amazed that a second planning application for a supermarket-only scheme was turned down. Tesco had originally lodged the supermarket-only plan in case the other scheme was thrown out by councillors.

In a statement, the campaign group said: "STOP finds it inexplicable that this larger scheme, the one that STOP has shown at the inquiry does the most damage, was approved, and the more benign scheme was dismissed."

Protesters fear the go-ahead will badly hit the area's existing independent retailers, even though there remain serious doubts over whether Tesco will proceed with plans to build 650 student flats and 220 private apartments.

Developers behind Glasgow Harbour, who plan a rival scheme, recently outbid Tesco to buy-up a strip of council land which the supermarket giant needed as an access route to the flats.

How Tesco chiefs will overcome that setback is not clear. So far they have refused to comment.