Retailers in Bude, Cornwall, are celebrating following the decision to reject an appeal by Tesco to build a supermarket and filling station in the town.

Tesco’s application to build a 3,179sq m store with petrol station was first rejected by Cornwall Council’s strategic planning committee in October last year on the grounds it would be detrimental to Bude town centre. A Council retail survey estimated that town centre stores would see between an 8% and 27% reduction in sales if the supermarket was approved.

The appeal was dismissed on similar grounds, with the inspector stating the development would “have a significant adverse impact upon the viability and vitality of the town centre”, citing the government’s Planning Practice Guidance ‘Ensuring the vitality of town centres’ as well as the government’s response to the Mary Portas review.

Local retailers, including the Chartman Group which runs a Spar store in the area, had campaigned against the proposed development and welcomed the ruling.

Chartman Group director Clive Sheppard, who gave evidence at the hearing, said the decision set an example for others fighting a multiple planning application. “The judgement should be read by anybody facing a similar challenge, as it lays out important indicators of how policies should be interpreted, and may be useful in similar future applications,” he said.