MAJOR plans to build a new supermarket, nursery and doctor's surgery on the edge of Ledbury were rejected.

Herefordshire Council rejected a proposal to build a new Lidl supermarket as well as a medical centre and nursery on land next to the Old Wharf Industrial Estate off Leadon Way and Dymock Road.

Planning officers feared building a supermarket on the outskirts of Ledbury would have negative effect on the town centre.

Applicants Deeley Properties and Countrywide Farmers said the plans would have created 200 construction jobs and 65 jobs once built.

A total of 190 car parking spaces would have been built for the supermarket, nursery and medical centre.

A spokesman for Herefordshire Council said: “This application was refused under delegated powers, with agreement of local members.

“The application had three parts: foodstore, childcare nursery, and medical centre.

“It has been fully advertised for public comments with two rounds of public consultations, and excluding the town council, 58 individuals, businesses or local groups submitted comments on the proposal.

“The government recognises the importance and role of the town centre and high street economically and in social and cultural terms and as such protects it through planning policies and guidance.

“New retail uses are directed to town centre locations unless it can be demonstrated there are no sites within or adjoining it and any out of centre store would not create a significant adverse impact on the town centre."

Cllr Dan Vesma, mayor of Ledbury, said: “There has been a huge amount of public interest in this application, with reasonable and passionate arguments from both sides.

“My priority is to ensure that we maintain medical facilities in the centre of town, and it was not at all clear that what was proposed would help us achieve that.

"The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), as part of the NHS, responded to the application by saying they had no formal approaches by, or detailed discussions with the applicant on the proposed medical centre.

“It was therefore a purely speculative proposal with no timescales or certainty of deliver.

“As such, I support the county council's decision to refuse this application."