Co-op adds its voice to Ludlow store objections

Fresh objections to a proposed large-scale supermarket next to the A49 as it bypasses Ludlow have been lodged by a rival chain already operating in the town.

Planning consultant Richard Holmes, acting on behalf of Midcounties Co-operative, which has a convenience store and petrol station on Sheet Road, said a report by developers downplaying the possible impact of the new store at Rocks Green has significantly underestimated the effect.

Midcounties Co-operative runs a small-scale convenience store and petrol station on Sheet Road, but their new objection centres around Ludlow's central Tesco store.

Indigo Planning, on behalf of supermarket developers Blackfriars, insists Ludlow's existing Tesco store on Corve Street stands alone, and is not part of the town centre and people do not link their trips to Tesco with other shops. In a report released in May, it said surveys suggested a new edge-of-town store would not threaten Ludlow town centre's "vitality and viability", if given the green light, if Tesco was taken out of the equation.

But Mr Holmes said even the 10 per cent loss of total town centre trade predicted by the developer's own report, would be "significantly adverse" for Ludlow's town centre.

And, he said, national and local planning policy would both clearly include Tesco in the town centre.

"The impact on the Tesco store is impact on the town centre," he said, adding that questioning whether people linked their Tesco shop with visiting the town centre "does not arise" because "any trip to Tesco is a trip to the town centre".

"There is no doubt that the Tesco store is an important part of the town centre and an important attractor of people to it, and that substantial loss of trade and customers would significantly affect the vitality and viability of the town centre," he said.

"On the applicants own figures the proposal would divert 20 per cent of the town centre's convenience goods turnover but it is likely to be more like 25 to 30 per cent.

"The applicants estimate of 10 per cent for total trade diversion omits 'comparison goods turnover' trade diversion from the Tesco store, and should therefore be significantly higher.

"There would be additional losses to the town centre as a result of the loss of linked trips. The figures for this provided on behalf of the applicant omit the majority of visits and are wholly speculative."

Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North, said: "This is a strong condemnation of the supermarket proposal but I suspect this application still has a way to run before it gets to planning committee."

Blackfriars insist that the store's impact on town centre trade would be minimal, as the town's "unique and specialist" town centre retailers served a "different need" to supermarket shopping, which would continue regardless of whether food shopping is done at Tesco or the proposed new store.