VALUE supermarket Netto is believed to have snapped up the former Otley Motors site - for more than £2 million.

Netto, which has a store in Boroughgate, has in the past made no secret of its search for a larger site in the town where it could provide car parking - unlike its current store.

Town council leader Councillor John Eveleigh said if the supermarket had bought the site it would have to be carefully handled.

"My concerns, were it to be used as a supermarket, would be that it is at the entrance to the town and if it is Netto it would be another supermarket setting up at an edge of town site.

"It is a sensitive area at the gateway to the town and we wouldn't want it looking an eyesore."

He added it would be an opportunity for Leeds City Council to secure more much needed parking for the town and negotiate a deal as it had with Sainsbury's for its new store in Bondgate.

"If they managed to get free parking for the town it would certainly help the parking situation."

Coun Eveleigh added that in an ideal world the land would be used for small businesses, including those to be relocated as part of the redevelopment of the Ashfield Works site off Westgate.

"Ideally, I would like to see the site used for small businesses. It would be an ideal site for small and light industrial units.

"One thing I wouldn't want to see is more housing, we have a surfeit of housing developments."

He added that it was important that the site was put back into use quickly.

"It is a big site and the most important thing is that we get it back into operation. I'm not over happy about it being a supermarket, but it is probably better than it being another housing estate."

The former car showroom, which was sold at the end of last year after administrators were brought it to manage the struggling dealership, was marked by agents, Eddisions Commercial as suitable for redevelopment.

Simon Croft, head of industrial agency at Eddisons Commercial, said: "The size and location of the Otley Motors site meant it was ideal for any number of uses, from another car showroom to retail or commercial use, even residential development.

"As a result, it came as no surprise when we were literally inundated with bids once the property was put up for sale - a scenario that clearly demonstrated the current value of potential development sites in and around Otley."

As well as the site, administrators Begbies Traynor employed Eddisons specialist business assets department to sell all off all Otley Motors' plant, machinery and remaining vehicles.

The auction, held in Otley at the end of last year, totalled 450 lots, including 25 vehicles.

Jason Pinder, of Eddisons business assets department, said: "While the auction itself was relatively straightforward, in comparison to many of the more technical and specialist machinery we often deal with, the logistics were complicated because of the fact vehicles and machinery had to be transported from the Bingley Motors site to Otley prior to the sale."

Last summer, Eddisons handled the sale of the former Newall School next to Prince Henry's Grammar School, Newall Carr Road, which was sold for £1,655,000.

l Efforts to obtain a comment from Netto were unsuccessful before the Wharfedale Observer went to press.