Plans for the Co-op to move in to the former New Look store in Market Street have been approved by Ashby de la Zouch Town Council.

Central England Co-op - which owns the building - wants to move into the space previously occupied by the clothing chain New Look which has moved out of Ashby.

While the store is just yards away from the Derby Road Co-op - the two supermarkets are different companies.

The Town Council's planning committee was shown plans of the new store, with the Co-op applying for permission for a change of an existing retail unit to a foodstore with a new shopfront, new signage zones with an amendment to car parking and a new secure yard.

Plans show changes to the car park at the rear of the store.

There would be a yellow hatched area for lorries to park and unload.

The committee was told that the car park would be 'tweaked' to provide an additional four spaces - but more details are expected to be submitted.

Central England Co-op admitted in April it was considering moving in to the empty unit Co-op planning to turn store back into a supermarket.

advertisement

Councillors had no objection to the plans and some were reminded of when the building housed supermarket chains in the past.

Cllr Roger Bayliss said: "As we know, this building started out life as a supermarket, I think we'd be hard pushed to object to it in principle.

"Given its former use, I can only think that anything further that's added can only be an improvement."

Cllr Geraint Jones added: "Fifty years ago when I arrived in Ashby, it was Kwik Save. I see nothing wrong with this."

Committee chairman Cllr Jim Hoult said: "The people who originally built it were New World Supermarkets."

Central England Co-op is likely to vacate its store at the other end of Market Street, but there has been no confirmation of that yet.