Ludlow protesters prepare to take action over supermarket plan

Members of Keep Ludlow Local have posted sign-up forms in shops around the town centre to help traders and customers object to plans for the supermarket that is being proposed for Rocks Green.

It has emerged that a full planning application for the store could be made within 10 days, after Shropshire Council officers ruled an environmental survey at the site would not be necessary.

But opponents have claimed the supermarket would deliver a devastating blow to trade in Ludlow town centre.

Tish Dockerty, spokeswoman for Keep Ludlow Local, said campaigners would be ready when the proposal is submitted to officers at Shirehall.

The campaign group is made up of members of organisations such as the Ludlow Chamber of Commerce, Ludlow Town Council, Ludlow Civic Society, Ludlow Town Centre Residents Association, South Shropshire Green Party and Ludlow Conservation Committee

Mrs Dockerty said: "At the moment we have sign-up forms in shops all around the town where people can add their name and contact details.

"Once we know the planning application is in we can send them details and they can send in a letter of objection.

"There's not a lot we can do until the application is submitted – in fact we've held back on everything else until then.

"We were under the impression there would be a number of screening-type things that would need to be done before a full application was submitted, but apparently that's not the case."

She said the Keep Ludlow Local campaign group was due to meet next week to discuss what was said at a meeting of Ludford Parish Council on Monday night, when the proposal was presented.

But Thomas Carter, chairman of Ludford Parish Council, said there had not been much new discussion on the topic.

He said: "It was essentially just a progress report keeping us updated.

"Generally speaking the people who were there were against it.

"They were mainly concerned about what would happen to the shops in the town centre, that there would be a dispersal of people.

"But there was at least one gentleman for it who said he was there to represent the other half of the town that wanted it. A survey said about half of the community were for it.

"What we still don't know is who would occupy the site, which is a bit of a surprise, as if they don't get a customer soon it could be very expensive going ahead."

Councillor Carter added: "A lot of supermarkets such as Sainsbury's and Tesco are thinking about other things at the moment apart from expanding."

Simon Hoare, who is acting as agent for developers Blackfriars, said on Monday that it was hoped a full application would be submitted within 10 days, to be decided by Shropshire Council's south planning committee after council officers made a decision on an initial screening application.

"The response was that we do not require an environmental impact assessment," he said, adding: "That's obviously good news.

"The next step will be moving forward to a submission."