THE debate over the future of the would-be new Tesco store site is about to hot up now that potential buyers are being considered.

While it’s widely expected that housing developers will be the ones who come up with the most money for the land, there is set to be years of debate about this site yet to come. Affordable housing is usually required in some shape or form whenever a housing estate of any significant size is proposed, so that request from various voices in the community stands a high chance of being fulfilled.

Whether the other non-housing suggestions, a car park and space for local businesses to expand, gain any ground remains to be seen, and may depend on the exact interests of the eventual buyer. Even if we were to learn tomorrow, however, that the site was sold with housing in mind, it still leaves a lot of questions waiting to be answered - namely how many houses and what type?

A long planning process is likely, whoever buys the land. And much as many residents living near the site were extremely concerned about the notion of having a large supermarket, with its associated traffic and deliveries, on their doorstep, it’s unlikely that nobody would object to plans for a large housing development.

This is evidently a very valuable plot of land, and anyone who takes it on will undoubtedly want to make the most of it. This could mean very high-end housing, or it could mean a large quantity. Either way, there would still be a strain on the infrastructure. The Tesco land is likely to remain a talking point for many years to come.