Booths supermarket bosses said they were considering their options after a plan for a Barrowford store was rejected.The company has the right to appeal against the decision, made on Thursday night by Pendle Council's Barrowford and Western Parishes Committee, but has not yet revealed whether it will continue to fight its case.
In a short statement, a spokesman for the supermarket said the firm was "naturally disappointed" with the decision, but would be giving "careful consideration" before making any further proposals for the village.
The plan, which had prompted an online protest, a 300-signature petition and more than 100 letters of objection, was thrown out by the planning committee.
Residents had complained about traffic problems, the effects on smaller shops and health issues. They said the store, on the site of the former Pendle Brook care home at the junction of Gisburn Road and Halstead Lane, would be too big for the village.
And councillors said the proposal went against the authority's own local plan, which states that supermarkets should be placed in larger towns like Colne and Nelson, not in "local centres" like Barrowford, which should aim to cater mainly for people living in the village.
Their decision went against the advice of planning officers who had recommended that breaking the policy in this case was "not significant enough" to warrant blocking the supermarket.
Planning officers had recommended that the shop be approved, saying there were no legal reasons why it should not be allowed.
Former councillor and Pasture Lane resident Susan Nike, who has been a leading figure in the protest since Booths first announced the plans in October, said at the meeting that she wanted councillors to fight any further attempts to build in Barrowford.
Source: http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk
