Co-op says Stradbroke store plans met with ‘positivity’

A representative of the East of England Co-operative has told a village parish council its plan to build a store has been met with “more positive than negative” feedback.

Members of the East of England Co-op attended a Stradbroke Parish Council meeting earlier this month, facing further questions from councillors.

It followed a public meeting in the village held earlier in the month, giving more details to their plans to build a £1.6 million store in Queen Street, which could create up to 35 jobs.

It was met largely with concern over the safety of residents, school children and road users, and whether the village could support another store.

This has been coupled with a potential development of 52 houses of various sizes at Grove Farm, also in Queen Street.

Co-op project manager, Tony Woodward, told the council: “We have taken on board a number of the comments, and, I will be honest, there has been more positive than there has been negative that has been fed to us through the business.

“We have been taking on board specifically the traffic situation.

“As part of the consultation process and what will come out as part of the planning application, the society has taken on board to do a traffic impact assessment separately. We can identify exactly what is happening in that stretch of road in front of the proposed development.”

Parish councillor James Hargrave asked if the council could conduct an independent traffic survey for both developments.

But Mr Woodward responded: “It is done by an automatic traffic counter so it is independent and that feedback would be open. We could share it with the other (Grove Farm) development.”