The silent majority are starting to get their voices heard over plans to build a controversial Tesco store at Ashton Gate in Bristol.

An online petition in favour of a supermarket at Bristol City FC's current ground has collected more names than one against the plan.

The "Say Yes to Tesco" petition on the city council's website has gathered 1,564 names compared to 1,004 for "No Tesco at Ashton".

Self-employed builder Richard Lane started his petition in favour of the store in response to Bedminster Residents Against Tesco Expansion (BERATE) campaign against Tesco.

Mr Lane, 54, said: "The people I've spoken to don't have any major concerns against a new supermarket and welcome the chance to shop in a new store."

"For the petition to be as successful as it has, it shows that people do feel strong about the positive impact this new development will have on south Bristol in particular and the region as a whole."

Mr Lane, who was born and bred in Bristol and now lives in Knowle, has been associated with the Bedminster and Southville areas for more than 40 years.

He said: "I have seen the area change over the years from the loss of the Wills' tobacco factory and then for it to improve during the past 10 years.

"People from a wide area go to North Street to buy meat and veg. They also go there to socialise. I think it's a different shopping experience in a supermarket from buying things from shops in the high street.

"Campaigners against the new store say shops in North Street will suffer but they are specialist shops in a nice environment which sell quality goods. I don't think they have anything to fear from Tesco."

Mr Lane, a City supporter for most of his life, is being helped with his petition by Bristol City Supporters' Trust which has been mandated by 95 per cent of fans to campaign for a new ground.

Mr Lane, who lives in Knowle, said: "I started my petition because I thought there was a lot of negative comments flying around and I didn't agree with the scaremongering.

"I think the protest group was started up by a small number of politically-motivated people who then encompassed the genuine fears of people who live in the area."

Charlie Bolton, the Green Party city councillor who represents Southville ward and set up the "No Tesco at Ashton" petition in support of the BERATE campaign, said: "It doesn't surprise me if they have got more names.

"There are loads of City fans and loads of people who live in South Gloucestershire and North Somerset who have signed and relatively few who live in Southville and Bedminster. With my petition, it's the other way around – most of them live in the area."

He said if there was a silent majority then they should put forward their comments.

BERATE spokesman Tom Griffin said the club had put enormous effort into collecting signatures from fans. He said: "Targeting supporters means most of the signatures are not from local people who would be affected by a new superstore.

"Scanning through the latest 100 online signatures today shows that only six per cent are from south Bristol and many more from outside Bristol altogether.

"From canvassing on the streets the vast majority of people are opposed to a new superstore and these are the local people who are supporting us.

"As for the argument that there is a silent majority, they may be silent because they don't exist."

The club has applied for planning permission to build a new £65m stadium at Ashton Vale.

But club chairman Steve Lansdown has stressed that the current ground must be redeveloped in order to raise the funds needed to build a new stadium. He told the Evening Post last week: "No foodstore, no stadium".

Councillors will decide whether to grant planning consent for the new stadium at a council meeting on Wednesday, November 4, starting at 6pm at the Council House.

The following night, the same council committee will decide whether to give the go-ahead to the Tesco plan at Ashton Gate.