PLANS for a possible Sainsbury superstore in Poulton have provoked complaints from traders - but few from residents

Wigan-based developers Trinity Investments' plan for a small to medium edge-of-town supermarket - believed to be for Sainbury's - is expected to go before Wyre planning sub-committee on June 4.

The site, a former used car lot, is at the corner of Breck Road and Station Road, with room for a 100-200 space car park.

But while just ten residents have written to Wyre planners in protest, Poulton Chamber of Trade is drawing up a dossier of objections to its impact on traffic and town centre shops.

Trinity Investments spokesman Gary Cartmell said: "This development has attracted the least number of complaints during the public consultation period than any supermarket in Trinity's vast experience and the MP has received no complaints. Trinity is delighted.

"It's a brown-field site within the town, which the Government prefers - and it's an eyesore at the moment, which residents have complained about.

"Trinity believes there is room for a small to medium supermarket in Poulton, based on independent research which showed less shop vacancies than any other similar town in the North West currently with an application of this type."

However, Wyre MP Hilton Dawson, who met Trinity representatives on site in the past few days, said he still had qualms.

"A major food store can only be detrimental, to my mind, to people who run established businesses in the centre of Poulton," he said, "and local residents are very concerned about the traffic situation."

Chamber of Trade vice-president Steve Rowland said an estimated 360,000 car journeys could be generated per year on already congested Breck Road and the supermarket's projected £18.5m annual turnover could only take trade away from the centre of Poulton.

He also believed it would go against Wyre's draft local plan and there may be safety hazards from a nearby pipeline. "Basically there's no need for it here," he said.

"There's only 20,000 people in Poulton and we've already got three supermarkets."

However, Trinity is banking on Poulton's power to attract a much larger shopping population from rural Over Wyre, where planning restrictions would exclude superstores.

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