TRIMLEY: Controversial proposals for a new supermarket on a busy village main road have been rejected.

Richard Cornwell

TRIMLEY: Controversial proposals for a new supermarket on a busy village main road have been rejected.

Councillors decided the plans for the East of England Co-operative Society store on High Road, Trimley St Mary, would be an “overdevelopment” of the site.

Despite High Road being one of the busiest through-village roads in Suffolk and the site being opposite a 400-pupil school, planning and highways officers had no concerns about traffic and said the land was perfectly acceptable for a store.

But Suffolk Coastal District Council did feel the plans would impact on neighbouring properties.

Bosses at the Co-op will now have to look at the project afresh - and decide if it is viable to build a smaller store.

The scheme involves demolishing Brands garage and replacing it with a 380 sq m store, with the garage moved to other premises.

If managers feel a smaller shop would be economic, they would have to submit a fresh planning application to Suffolk Coastal.

More than 180 villagers, mainly worried about noise from delivery lorries and extra traffic danger, objected to the plans.

Agents for the Co-op said the scheme would not harm other shops in the village.

“The vitality and viability of Trimley St Mary would therefore not be harmed, and could be considered to be enhanced as a result of the proposals, given the existing lack of retail offer,” said their report.

Does Trimley need a supermarket? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk