HADLEIGH'S hopes for a new supermarket could be shelved permanently after the government announced the land at Calais Street should be deleted from the agenda.

HADLEIGH'S hopes for a new supermarket could be shelved permanently after the government announced the land at Calais Street should be deleted from the agenda.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Evening Star, Tesco was told by Go East, the government office for the eastern region, that it did not want the Calais Street option developed as a supermarket even if there were no alternatives.

Babergh's development planning manager, Graham Thomas, however told The Evening Star today: "I can confirm that we have received a letter from Go-East containing a number of representations about the emerging local plan. One of their comments related to the proposed siting of a foodstore on the Buyright site in Hadleigh.

Go-East has requested that this particular allocation be removed. Their request, alongside the others received on this and other issues, will be considered by the inspector during the public inquiry due next year."

A Tesco spokesman told The Evening Star: "What this means is Hadleigh will forever be wrapped in cotton wool and protected from further shops.

"It is not giving Hadleigh people a choice, just telling them they will not be having a new store.

"Tesco has always favoured the Brett Works site because it is closer to the centre of the town.

"When Babergh rejected this idea in favour of Buyright in Calais Street it was really sounding the death knell for another supermarket," the spokesman added.

There has been a long-running wrangle between Babergh council, Hadleigh people and Tesco over the siting of a supermarket for the town.

After years of arguments over whether a new store should be built on the Buyright site in Calais Street or the long disused Brett Works site near the town centre, Babergh ruled the out of town site should be favoured.

Two years ago the First Secretary of State accepted there was a need for additional convenience shopping space in Hadleigh but rejected development of Calais Street on the grounds it would have a significant detrimental impact on town centre shops.

Tesco has been told by the government offices responsible that the land at Calais Street should not be pursued even in the absence of alternatives.

With Calais Street out of the equation and Babergh rejecting the Brett Works location, Tesco believes there is no hope for further shopping in Hadleigh.

n What do you think? Should Hadleigh have a new supermarket or should it be content with the shopping facilities already there?

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