Plans to flatten a Rothbury shop to make way for a Co-op store has been give the go-ahead by Northumberland councillors.
Sansec IH1 Ltd was given planning permission to bulldoze the Mace Convenience Store at Townfoot to make way for the new premises in which an existing Co-op would move in to.
A planning report said: “The new building would be two storey with a single storey rear off shot and would occupy the same frontage as the existing building but would extend further back into the plot to give it a significantly larger footprint of approximately 475 square metres.”
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When Rothbury Parish Council was asked for feedback it said a new convenience store is needed, however it has “major concerns” with parking and traffic management.
The parish said the retailer needs to put in traffic management measures to make particularly around the entrance to Wright's Square, Pots and Paws, La Mensa, bus stops and Brewery Lane.
The authority also received 18 objections from concerned members of the public.
They raised fears about about the impact of the proposals on highway safety and car parking within the town centre.
However, Northumberland County Council’s planning department recommended approval for the proposals saying “the proposal represents an appropriate form of development that would not have a significant adverse impact on the appearance of the property, the street scene or the amenity of neighbouring land users.”
The North Northumberland Local Area Council backed authority planners and voted to approve the scheme on Thursday.
Coun Jeff Watson, who represents Amble West with Warkworth, said: “It’s a very difficult decision this one.
“The problem I see is that Rothbury has very limited spaced for a modern supermarket, if you don’t have it there where do you have it?
“A bigger footfall means more people and more parking it is inevitable, but the benefit the people of Rothbury will get from a new supermarket.
“I’m sorry parish council, it will give you problems, I know it will, but it has to go forward.”
