LEGAL wrangling over a controversial supermarket plan on the outskirts of Braintree was due to finish this week, ahead of a final decision on the matter.
Sainsbury's want to build a new 19,000sq ft store with a 500-space car park, 42 bike spaces, a click-and-collect point, bakery and delicatessen, with some 400 new jobs, on the Broomhills Industrial Estate, off Pods Brook Road.
But Braintree District Council rejected its application in November last year, saying it breached local and national planning policies and feared it would suck trade from the town centre.
A public inquiry into the council's decision to refuse permission for the new supermarket in Braintree began last month.
Lawyers acting for the council and Sainsbury's were summing up their case to the Planning Inspectorate as the Chronicle went to press.
But residents who live near the site and other parts of Braintree have strong opinions about the plans and the future of the town centre.
Primary school teacher Nicola Larkin, who lives on Rayne Road near the proposed site, said: "The traffic towards the roundabout will get so much worse, it's bad enough as it is but with a new store it will cause a lot more congestion around the industrial estate at rush hour.
"The market traders are suffering as it is, and if a huge store is put on the edge of town that will kill them of completely."
At the moment there are only two businesses occupying units on the industrial site – Grahams Plumbing Merchants and UK Electrical Wholesale Lighting.
As Sainsbury's own the land, neither business knows how long they can remain on the site and depending on the planning appeal ruling, may have to look for new premises.
Robin Fisher, a resident who lives in Jersey Way, a road which backs on to Pods Brook Industrial Estate, said: "I was against the store, but now I'm in favour of it, mainly because we need something there, the current site is getting more and more derelict and the Sainsbury's in the town centre isn't big enough.
"The traffic is a concern but it will bring a lot of jobs into the area."
A spokesman for Sainsbury's said: "We are pleased that the appeal has demonstrated the need and desire from residents for the out-of-town Sainsbury's store.
"We believe that the store will enable the regeneration of the site off Rayne Road and will also offer residents of Braintree a greater deal of choice, all of which was well articulated by the numerous residents who turned out to speak in support of the scheme.
"We are hopeful that the Planning Inspector will recommend that the appeal is upheld by the Secretary of State."
The decision is likely to be announced this spring.
