Don - yes I believe in the consumption of alcohol and yes if my sister turned up to our mothers funeral I would be slightly miffed, initially anyway. But that only proves my point, sometimes you need to intervene in situations to make them better for all involved, sometimes you have to base your judgment on the greater good. In this case if it was making sure no alcohol was available to my sister knowing that she would turn to the drink in the light of our mother dieing, so be it. Or if it is providing a minimum wage knowing that without it the market does not provide enough for lower skilled workers, so be it. And in the case of the thread, if it involves making a law which protects areas of social / historical / military etc, importance from big business, then so be it.

The free market needs twisting and turning so it fits everyone and benefits all. I guess that is why I am fundamentally on the left.

Im all for the free market- and I'm all for the free market forces stopping this. People who feel strongly about this need to make their voices heard and let the town and company involved know that this will not be in their best interests.
A market fundamentally determined by demand and supply... Is not going to care really about a few locals not wanting it. In fact more locals probably would relish it as the opportunities for their own business' / jobs will grow. What market forces is there available to stop it happening?