PROPOSALS for a second new superstore at Felixstowe have today been submitted to planners as the race for a new shopping scheme hots up.

Walton Green Partnership has lodged an application with Suffolk Coastal for a 30,000sq ft Tesco plus up to 200 homes on a 30-acre site, with the Trimley Estate putting in plans for a further 190 homes on the other side of Walton High Street.

The Walton Green scheme also includes three live/work places and 17 units for small and growing businesses; café; community hall; up to 40 allotments; open space; and a replacement public footpath through the site.

Last month proposals were submitted by developers Albourne Property for a 30,000sq ft superstore on land next to the town’s railway station.

The Walton Green scheme is greenfield land and against policy, while the railway site is brownfield and close to the town centre.

Tim Collins, a partner in Bidwells, managers of the Trimley Estate, owned by Trinity College, Cambridge, who are jointly developing Walton Green with Tesco, said the project was the result of several years’ research to create a carefully designed, sustainable mixed-use scheme.

The proposals would provide a range of new homes to help address the growing shortage in supply, alongside new small business space to keep growing businesses in the heart of Felixstowe.

“The new homes are desperately needed in the town and the small business units are sorely lacking,” he said.

“Walton Green creates a great opportunity to generate new jobs and significant investment – it is a real sign of confidence in the future of Felixstowe.”

Simon Petar, of Tesco, said the foodstore would create about 250 jobs and provide a much-needed economic lift to the area.

“We already have a great deal of public support and we will carry on working with local traders and organisations in the coming weeks and months,” he said.