PROPOSALS for a Leominster DIY superstore with an expected £2.6 million annual turnover have been hit by a major setback follow powerful objections from Government agencies.

Plans for the 25,000 sq. ft store, an associated garden centre and car park for up to 138 vehicles on riverside land at Mill Street have been withdrawn. Site owner F H Dale Ltd confirmed the move this week.

The retail complex, which was likely to have been occupied by the Focus DIY chain, was expected to create 30 new jobs and would have increased "shopping choice" in Leominster, Dales maintained.

The firm denied the project, submitted to planners by a Halifax developer, was now a dead duck following Environment Agency and English Heritage objections.

Dale's commercial director Andrew McWhirter said the objections were not seen as a major obstacle. He said: "The plan has been temporarily withdraw. There are a few things to sort out with the prospective tenant."

Following the objections planning officials were poised to refuse the scheme under delegated powers Hereford Times has learned.

The Environment Agency claimed the site on the banks of the Kenwater (a loop of the River Lugg) was a 'high risk' site for flooding. It is insisting the developer carry out a flood risk assessment. The agency lists a number of other concerns.

English Heritage has objected because of the proposed store's 'adverse' impact of the Leominster River Meadows Conservation Area and setting of the Priory Church. English Nature also cautioned on aspects of the scheme.