Burnham-On-Sea residents have backed plans by Tesco to extend its store in the town, according to a study by the supermarket giant.
A poll of local people found that almost four out of every five want the store on Ben Travers Way to be expanded to make it easier to shop there.
The survey was carried out during a consultation on Tesco’s proposals at The Princess Hall during July.
Residents were asked to fill in comment cards and the feedback, which was announced on Wednesday (September 10th), showed that 86 per cent had backed the plans.
The scheme would provide an extra 1,200 square metres of shopping space and around double the number of parking spaces. It is designed to tackle severe crowding in the store and car par, particularly at peak times.
As well as more convenient shopping for residents and visitors to the area, an extended store would mean better stock levels on the shelves and a wider range of fresh and local products.
Tesco spokesperson Melanie Chiswell told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “These results confirm what our customers are already telling us – they want a bigger, better stocked, less congested store.”
“Our exhibition was designed to capture the views of the wider community and we are obviously pleased that there is widespread support for this store extension.”
She added that the exhibition outlined a number of other improvements planned as part of the development, including a new recycling centre, road improvements around the site entrance, a new bus stop, and a new pedestrian entrance from Love Lane.
Other feedback provided during the consultation will be included in the plans where possible, and Tesco says it will submit the proposals to Sedgemoor District Council for planning permission “shortly”. If successful, building on the site could begin next summer.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported in July that the scheme is smaller than the extension proposed in 2005.
