‘A win-win situation’ - plans for new supermarket welcomed by town centre traders
A new supermarket is set to be built in Halesworth town centre Picture: MIKE PAGE - Credit: Archant
The prospect of a new supermarket in Halesworth could be a ‘win-win situation’ for the town centre, traders have said.
David Patrick, of DC Patrick Newsagents, said he would be favour of a new supermarket Picture: ARCHANT - Credit: Archant
Plans have been lodged for a large store to be built in the heart of the town off Saxons Way, in land currently occupied by a car park and several smaller buildings.
No operator has been identified for the supermarket as of yet, though many residents on social media expressed their desire to see a budget supermarket, like Lidl or Aldi, being built.
The single-storey supermarket would be 1,894sq m in size and would create 30 new jobs.
Halesworth Town Council is set to discuss the plans in an extraordinary meeting next Monday.
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Several business owners in the town centre have said they would be in favour of a new supermarket being built if it could help boost their own trade.
Hannah Tuthill, manager of Cooper Hardware Store in the town’s Thoroughfare, said she was in favour of the plans and believed a new supermarket would help attract more people from surrounding villages to Halesworth.
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She said: “I definitely think it’s something that’s needed. It will bring more people to the town than take away and it will help us in the long run.
“But I don’t know whether it’s going to happen.”
Emma Saunders runs the nearby Hideout Cafe and also believes a supermarket would help attract customers to her business.
She said: “As a business owner, I’m all for something new. Competition is good.
“I hope people will visit the supermarket and then make their way down the town centre. I think it’s a win-win situation.”
The owner of DC Patrick Newsagents, David Patrick, is another who said he would be in favour of the scheme.
He said: “It could be the right thing. I think if we get the right store that is run properly it could help us.
“If we can attract people to the town centre, it would be good for Halesworth.”
Nigel Kemp, who owns Halesworth Toy Shop, added: “Anything to keep people in the town centre will be great. A bit of competition will be healthy.”
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