A THIRD supermarket in Okehampton has been given the go-ahead after a motion to refuse the application was lost by one vote.

West Devon Borough Council approved the proposal for a Lidl store at School Way on Tuesday despite a recommendation by the planning committee to turn it down.

The application, which raised concerns from local people about the impact of traffic on an already congested area and the suitability of a superstore at the confluence of two of the 'most beautiful rivers in Devon', was supported by planning officers because the land was earmarked for development, both retail and residential.

The conclusions of an independent traffic assessment survey revealed that the supermarket would only have a slight impact on existing traffic levels and in a worst case would add between one and three vehicles to the queues at the Market Street/Fore Street junction.

But Cllr Joan Pauley described the report as 'complete balderdash' because the survey had taken place in the school holidays and not at the busiest times of the day.

'I have no faith in this assessment and the supermarket is against what the people of Okehampton want in terms of the traffic and the environment,' she said.

A plea was made to the committee by resident Anne Crampton for the site to remain an amenity area as the land had been established as a children's play area since the primary school was built 100 years ago.

Although Lidl has included a picnic area and footpath around the river Alan Finch from the Okehampton Rivers Group described how the enjoyment of the area would be destroyed by the 'monstrous building, extractor fans and a sub station' at the confluence of two of the most beautiful rivers in Devon — the East and West Okement.

'I understand that the plans for this area must include commercial, retail and residential as well as environmental improvements — again the council's own words in the 1997 Planning Brief,' he added.

Objections were raised by the Environment Agency as Lidl did not wish to comply with a request for a seven metre buffer zone between the river bank and the development. The agency expressed concerns about nature conservation, flooding and pollution.

The committee was told, however, that the Environment Agency had not been consistent in its remarks and had raised no objection when Waitrose did not provide a seven metre buffer zone.

Resident Ana Pulteney questioned whether Okehampton would continue to be promoted as the walking centre of Dartmoor or the supermarket centre of Okehampton — Lidl, Waitrose and Somerfield would all be located within 800 metres of each other.

'The children of this town will remember Okehampton as a concrete ghetto and a no-go area at night,' she said.

But support for the application came from resident and Lidl shopper Monty Lerer who said the store would help to invigorate Okehampton in terms of creating an attractive and popular shopping venue, job opportunities and increased parking spaces.

The committee was told that when Lo-Cost was lost to the town to make way for Waitrose, the customers felt 'short changed' because Waitrose was 'hardly a substitute.'

'Okehampton is a rather impoverished town and approving this application is perhaps a way to redress what happened,' said Cllr Nick Waterhouse.

'Social justice may not be a material planning consideration but to me it is an important issue,' he said.

He added Somerfield and Waitrose were as different as 'chalk and cheese' and Lidl was entirely different again.

Members have been told if they refused the proposal and it went to appeal, officers from the borough council would have a hard job defending the decision since the land had been earmarked for this type of development and they would receive no support from County Highways.

The superstore was given the go-ahead with a number of conditions including restrictions on delivery times and mitigation measures to meet the concerns of the Environment Agency.