FELIXSTOWE'S biggest eyesore is set to be torn down to make way for a multi-million pound supermarket.The resort's bus station, said to be one of the ugliest buildings in the county, is at last going to be demolished.

FELIXSTOWE'S biggest eyesore is set to be torn down to make way for a multi-million pound supermarket.

The resort's bus station, said to be one of the ugliest buildings in the county, is at last going to be demolished.

In its place a Lidl superstore will be built - which will prove a huge boost to the southern part of the resort and the proposals to regenerate the area.

Richard Taylor, development executive for the German supermarket giant, said Lidl had owned the land for a while.

First Eastern Buses had decided not to renew their lease for the site and so it had been decided to fence off the property in Langer Road with hoardings to make it safe and secure.

“We have had some initial discussions with planners at Suffolk Coastal about our plans for a superstore on the site and they have been very positively received,” said Mr Taylor.

“We don't have a timescale at the moment and are not in a rush.

“The next stage will be for us to draw up detailed plans for the site.

“We want to make sure we make a full and proper application and provide the planners with all the information they need.”

Once the bus station was the place thousands of daytrippers and holidaymakers would arrive for their visits to the seaside, but it hasn't been used as a bus station for many years and is falling to pieces.

The ticket office closed 20 years ago, buses no longer stop there, and until recently it was used just for overnight bus parking.

Suffolk Coastal District Council has earmarked the site for potential redevelopment and at one time it was envisaged the bus station, shops and offices alongside plus the council's car park could be used for a comprehensive project.

It has long been thought a supermarket could be built and Sainsbury's assessed the site and considered buying it.

What do you think of the proposal for a Lidl supermarket on the site? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail EveningStarLetters@eveningstar.co.uk

FASTFACTS: Lidl

Lidl opened its first stores in 1973 and by the 1980s was a household name throughout Germany. During the 1990s the firm started to open stores outside Germany and today they can be found in nearly every country in Europe.

It opened its first store in the UK in 1994 and now has more than 380 stores.

The company is pledged to a vigorous expansion programme and actively asks people with land to submit it for assessment and possible purchase.

It is on the look-out for sites in towns or edge of town locations on main roads for stores between 8,000 sq ft and 19,000 sq ft of around three quarters of an acre or larger for mixed use schemes.