A Ledbury councillor has rubbished claims that a proposed supermarket will not damage town centre trade.

Sainsbury’s revealed more details about its plans for the Galebreaker site during a town council meeting last week.

The retailer first approached the Leadon Way business in December 2009 and has earmarked a new site on Bromyard Road.

Representatives added that 78 per cent of the 500 respondents at its exhibition supported the plan for a store and petrol station.

But some traders and councillors found the plans a little hard to swallow – especially Liz Harvey of It’s Our County.

She ridiculed claims by Michael Adenmosun, regional development executive, that the store would not affect the High Street.

She listed more than a dozen shops – including three butchers, two bakeries and bookshops – that would be in competition.

“I find it incredibly difficult to credit that bringing a store of this size will not impact on these shops,” said Coun Harvey.

“Please don’t make statements like that which are not clearly giving a proper window to the concerns felt in the community.”

Annette Crowe, head of the traders’ association, said all Ledbury’s shopkeepers were concerned about the proposed out-of-town supermarket, because they sold similar items and didn’t have the retailer’s buying power.

Sainsbury’s wants a 30,000 square foot store, just over the half the size of its Hereford branch, opposite land already earmarked by Tesco.

Councillor Peter Watts warned residents at last week’s meeting that one of the retailers would win.

He said: “In my opinion it will come down to one or the other.

It’s up to you to put it forward and we need to be in control of that.”

Coun Watts added that Tesco’s plan for the Ledbury Welding site had been directed to the planning committee.