Defence Online

Councillors have given the green light to another supermarket in Cinderford again- despite being warned it could lead to the closure of the existing Co-op store in the town centre.Trilogy Developments (Beverley) Limited have put in another planning application to build a superstore on the site once proposed for Asda at Steam Mills which was thrown out after a legal challenge by Mid Counties Co-operative Ltd.On Tuesday councillors were told the judge decided against the council because the local authority had not taken enough account of how harmful a superstore would be to the town centre when giving planning permission.And yesterday they were warned that the superstore at Steam Mills could lead to the closure of the biggest store in the town, which employs 116 people, and divert millions of pounds from town centre shops.But councillors on the Forest of Dean District Council development control committee decided a new supermarket would still be beneficial to the town’s regeneration and that local people should be given a choice about where they shop.And after officers told them the report and the recommendation before them had been vetted by their own and the applicant’s QC to try and block any legal challenges, they agreed to try again by passing the application.Chairman of the regeneration board and local councillor Graham Morgan said in his opinion the Co-op were being “hypocritical” and using planning law to protect their business.