A planned new chain store in the historic heart of a Herefordshire town has locals worried over its effect on other businesses.

Card Factory applied for and was granted planning consent for new signage at the former Shoe Zone on Leominster’s High Street, which has been vacant for over a year.

But the West Yorkshire-based firm’s move drew five objections from residents.

Abi Hallam, owner of the independent card shop Best Wishes on the same street, said she was “shocked and saddened by the potential opening of this huge large-scale multinational cheap budget card shop”.

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This will have a huge detrimental effect on mine and fellow other small retailers,” she said. “I fear this will be the death of my business.”

Local resident Verity Jones objected on the basis that Leominster “has a thriving independent business population, with traditional buildings that attract tourism and subsequent trade”.

Fellow resident Susan Roberts said: “Market towns draw visitors because they DON'T have chain stores down their high streets, but instead pride themselves on lovely independent shops.”

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Vicky Griffiths of Eardisland added: “Another big company going to ruin local small businesses.”

The town council also objected, but due to “lack of information” on the application.

Planning officer Jack Dyer ruled that any potential impact on existing businesses was “not a material planning consideration”.

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He said the application had however been given “a more robust assessment… given the sensitivity of the site location”.

Although Card Factory’s plan involved a light bar above the main shop sign, the sign’s proposed blue and yellow colour would make “little difference materially”. And repainting the surrounding blue paintwork with a “more muted” grey would “improve the aesthetic of the frontage”, he said.

“While not perfect, this proposal goes some way to benefit the conservation area by somewhat improving the design of this shopfront,” he concluded.

Card Factory plc has 1,043 stores across the UK and Ireland, with an increase of 11 in the first half of this year, according to newly published accounts. These showed a turnover of £221 million for the period, yielding a pre-tax profit of £24.7 million.