bovey Tracey town councillors agreed on Monday to full public consultation about the controversial Le Molay-Littry Way supermarket wrangle.

As well as dealing with complicated covenant issues – and a councillor criticising the Mid-Devon Advertiser's coverage of the long-running land saga – the finance, resources and general purposes committee agreed to the move.

Residents packed into the council chamber, while others left outside tried to listen through an open door.

It was the first time the long-awaited report by solicitors into the covenant on the council owned land was aired in public, although it had been posted on the council's website.

The land was covenanted for community use, and the council sought legal advice to see if that could be overturned, including building a supermarket on the site, and had discussions with an agent representing Sainsbury's, also visiting two of its stores.

The covenant, though, is extremely complicated and on some options it suggested further detailed work by specialist lawyers would be required and legal counsel's opinion sought.

Cllr Eoghan Kelly, holding a copy of the Mid-Devon Advertiser, maintained behind-closed-doors talks with Sainsbury's had not happened.

'I do not think it is fair or balanced reporting,' he said, adding that he was going to write to the Advertiser.