BRINGING a branch of chain store B&M to Bude would help to create jobs, the town council was told last week. But one councillor feared that if the proposal was granted it would 'hit the town hard'.

The comments came when Bude-Stratton Town Council's planning committee last Thursday was presented with plans for a B&M store by David Morris, representative for the Catesby Property Group Plc.

The proposal — for three retail units, including an external garden centre, access, parking, serving yard, landscape and associated infrastructure at Binhamy — would see the original reserved matters application increase in size in terms of floor space.

But having already said no to a Tesco coming to the location, Cllr Lea Deely saw no reason why this proposal should be treated any different: "If Tesco moved in, and this looks similar but bigger and cheaper, the viability of the town centre would be a worry."

Since the last meeting, Mr Morris said that he understood the town council would not accept an open A1 shops application, so he added some conditions to it that would restrict what could and could be sold on site.

He said: "There would be no more than 15% of floor space taken up with dry, non-perishable foods.

"The restrictions that would be put in place would not allow the sale of tobacco, lottery, perishable, chilled, or frozen items."

He said the store would be split with a heavy 70% weighting for the sale of furniture and furnishings, paint, wallpaper, décor and tiling, floor coverings, DIY, garden goods and homeware, electrical goods, car care goods, pet products, non-durable household items and open air recreational goods such as tents and camping equipment, leaving 30% for everything else.

But councillors were not convinced that it provides adequate assurances to retain the viability of the town.

For the full report, and a round-up of the area news and sport, see this week's edition of the Post.