Latest score from Ashton Gate: Berate United 1- Tesco Wanderers 1.

Tesco struck first, after their application to build a supermarket at Bristol City's current ground was linked to the possibility of a new 30,000-seat football stadium at Ashton Vale being a World Cup venue in 2018.

Now Berate (Bedminster Residents Against Tesco Expansion) has brought things level, following the recent publication of a consultants' report which concluded there is no need for a Tesco supermarket at Ashton Gate.

Clearly, there's still everything to play for.

So far, what looks set to be a hard-fought contest between Berate campaigners and Tesco supporters has featured skirmishes over Bristol hosting a World Cup match, arguments about affluent incomers moving into Southville, and claims about the potential demise of independent retailers in North Street.

But what I really want to know about are the shoppers whom Tesco reckons will flock to a new store on the site of the present stadium.

Already we have a fair idea of who isn't going to shop there. It seems unlikely that those Southville residents who currently shop on North Street are going to be transformed into Club Card holders.

However, I find it hard to believe that Tesco has decided to open another superstore in Bristol out of a philanthropic desire to provide own brand goods (plus bonus points) to those locals who don't go to Southville Deli, and can't manage to get down to Asda in East Street. Every little may help, but it usually takes better profit-making potential than this to attract Tesco to build a new store.

So who are these shoppers who will be loading up their trollies if a Tesco is built at Ashton Gate? Perhaps the answer can be found by turning away from North Street and looking towards what are currently green spaces in the west and south of Bristol. For there's a bigger – and, arguably, more alarming picture – that's in danger of being missed.

There may not be many potential shoppers in the green spaces to the west and south of Ashton Gate at the moment. But this could change in coming years as a result of the Government's Regional Spatial Strategy and Bristol City Council's C21 scheme.

The RSS is calling for nearly 600,000 new homes to be built in the South West by 2026 – including about 27,500 in Bristol. Meanwhile, the C21 strategy involves regeneration plans for south Bristol, which are expected to include the construction of a ring road and thousands of new homes.

The report from the independent consultants which concluded there was no need for a Tesco at Ashton Gate appears to have been based upon the current retail and housing situation. Could it be that Tesco's plans are based upon the future situation that could exist just a short drive from Ashton Gate if new homes are built?

It's still too close to call whether Berate or Tesco will win at Ashton Gate.

But it's already looking as if some green spaces in the Bristol area will end up being lost for ever.