IT is being claimed that a new supermarket on the outskirts of Ludlow could devastate shops in the town centre.

Midshires Co-operative has added to its objection to the supermarket proposed by Blackfriars at Dun Cow.

The developer has said that concerns about the impact of the town is being overstated and could amount to 10 per cent.

But planning consultant Richard Holmes believes that it would be much greater with almost a third of Ludlow Town Centre businesses at risk.

Richard Holmes criticises the developer’s assessment of the impact the supermarket would have on trade in the town centre.

He says the impact will be higher - perhaps as high as a 30% loss of retail business.

Richard Holmes wants Shropshire Council to publish expert advice and claims that calculations by the developer are speculative.

He also criticises the way the developer has calculated the damage the proposed store would have on town centre retailers, saying the calculations are at times ‘speculative'.

Some of the argument concerns technical planning rules, including whether Tesco is in the town centre or on the edge of the centre.

But Andy Boddington who represents Ludlow on Shropshire Council believes that Tesco is in the town centre.

“The Tesco store is an important part of the town centre and the impact on that store is an impact on the town centre,” he said.