LANDOWNING Trinity College today rejected calls to withdraw its proposals for a Tesco superstore at Felixstowe – and said the project would be good for the town’s economy.
Action group Walton Felixstowe Community First sent a personal letter to the master of the Cambridge college, Sir Gregory Winter, asking for it to pull out on moral grounds and save the town centre.
Rory Landman, senior bursar at Trinity College and responsible for all the college’s estates, reaffirmed its support for the Walton Green Partnership proposals for a 30,000sq ft store, homes, work units and allotments, and said it was up to the local authorities to exercise their judgment based on the evidence.
He said: “The college has always been prepared to make land available to support responsible growth in Felixstowe and has seen the town thrive because of the employment and opportunities presented by Trinity schemes over the past decades.
“These opportunities over the years have led to great benefits for Felixstowe and have boosted the town’s income from both employment and business rates.
“Over a quarter of residents in Felixstowe travel outside the town to do their weekly food shop and this is not sustainable.
“This scheme will bring new jobs and real benefits to Felixstowe. A great deal of time, effort and detailed research has gone into this scheme which we believe will be good for the local economy.
“It represents a significant local investment at a time when such schemes are scarce. It is a great project and it has our support.”
Tesco spokesman Simon Petar added: “We are immensely proud of our investment in communities, bringing jobs and security at time of economic uncertainty. Our store will help the town centre by bringing back in to town those that would otherwise be spending their money in Ipswich and other places.”
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