THE FUTURE retail needs of Tavistock and Okehampton are to be identified in new studies which West Devon Borough Council is funding up to the tune of £40,000.

Councillors were told that the last retail study was carried out in June 2005 but it was now out-of-date.

Principal planning officer Jo Perry said at the future planning and housing committee last week that although the borough had refused planning permission for a Sainsbury's store and fought off an appeal two years ago, there was pressure from supermarket developers wanting to come to the town.

She said there was evidence to suggest that the current retail study was not an acceptable long term approach.

The 2005 study found that there was some leakage to stores outside the borough, particularly in relation to supermarket shopping, with only 53% of convenience goods expenditure being retained within the borough.

Since that time a Lidl's store had been built in Plymouth Road.

Cllr Roy Connelly said the number of houses being planned in Tavistock would create a demand for additional retail outlets.

Cllr Alison Clish-Green said Tavistock had a reputation as a foodie town with its specialist cheese shops, several butchers and restaurants.

She said someone needed to think about a radical retail development in the town centre not out of town.

'The first I knew of a new supermarket application was in the Times two weeks ago,' she said.

Mercian Developments has put forward a proposal to the core strategy public inquiry for the employment site in Plymouth Road previously favoured by Sainsbury's.

An application for a supermarket together with a health care provider, a budget hotel operator, a pub and restaurant may be submitted later this year. Mercian says it would be a retail-led employment scheme providing hundreds of jobs for the town.

Cllr Donald Horn, who represents the Lifton area, said if Cllr Clish-Green had her way she would ring-fence Tavistock and just allow specialist shops in.

'I think you will find the bulk of shoppers from my area with young families go to supermarkets to get groceries.

'I don't think they would entertain the idea of lugging back a lot of shopping bags from town with two kids hanging off their arm and battling with parking tickets.

'We need to look at the fact that there should be more of this kind of retail provision in Tavistock — people from this area go to Launceston and Plymouth for supermarkets.'

Jo Perry said once a new retail study had been done and the new evidence had been gathered, members could make an informed decision on how they wanted to progress even if it was contrary to what the evidence suggested:

'At the moment our retail study is at risk of being challenged,' she said.