Vancouver city council voted down a proposal to build a 143,000-square-foot store that would have been the city's first Wal-Mart.

Coun. Anne Roberts, who has led the fight against the store, told city council that approving the application went against everything the city is trying to do to create neighbourhood centres. Roberts said it would have also meant thousands more car trips and created more air pollution.

The council turned down the proposal by a vote of 8-3.

Mayor Larry Campbell and two councillors supported the project.

Campbell suggested that the rest of council's opposition to the development had more to do with ideology and the business practices of Wal-Mart than with land use.

The writing was clearly on the wall for the U.S. retail giant at Tuesday afternoon's council meeting.

Just before dealing with the Wal-Mart application, council also rejected a big-box Canadian Tire store in the same southern part of the city.

Roberts said she now wants city staff to re-examine the zoning that allows developers to build big-box stores within city limits in the first place.