LOCKED stable doors and bolting horses spring to mind about the latest planning decision on Middlebrook. Dealing with a planning application from retail giant Argos, Bolton Council decreed that they could only move in if they didn't sell toys, books, jewellery or fashion accessories.

As they sell from a catalogue, that effectively scuppers the Argos plan. But, as shoppers already know, these items are already on sale at Middlebrook from Asda and Tesco and other smaller stores.

Horwich shopkeepers may well have felt it was another nail in the coffin of local trade, but, realistically, it is still a case of too little too late. The original "caveats" on what could and could not be sold on Middlebrook have long since gone out of the window.

We never expected to see a high street fashion name like Next. Yet a large store opened there just weeks ago and is doing excellent business.

All the arguments about protecting Horwich traders sound very hollow now. But preventing such a huge retail park from selling certain items was always going to be difficult.

Middlebrook is a massive draw, for local shoppers and those from further afield who enjoy the retail and leisure experience. It shows just how futile it is to fight the trend for one-stop shopping. The place is a major attraction -- and a massive employer.

Horwich has its own retail charm, that could perhaps be enhanced by an injection of local authority cash into the area, and Bolton town centre still draws the crowds.

But what is certain is that no one can swim against the tide of public taste, especially local authorities.

And at Middlebrook, it would now be worth giving the public exactly what it wants, instead of making a pretence of taking the moral high ground when so much of the retail ground has already been surrendered.