LLOYDS Bank has joined the growing list of objectors to controversial plans for a new supermarket in Williton, claiming it could be forced to pull out of the village if the development goes ahead. Stella Hicks has written to West Somerset Council on behalf of the banking giant hinting that the Williton branch's very future is in jeopardy if the supermarket is built. Businessman David Gliddon has submitted plans for the new store on land behind his agricultural machinery business off Bank Street, together with a pedestrian link to Fore Street. But creating the link would come at a price for Lloyds as the firm's current building in Fore Street would be partially demolished to form the walkway. Ms Hicks said: "Mr Gliddon proposes that the existing Lloyds Bank building at 23 Fore Street will be reconfigured to provide a smaller shop unit - for which we have no exact size details, but understand that it would be too small for the business needs of Lloyds - to provide pedestrian access from Fore Street. "Due to this plan of part demolition to create pedestrian access, Mr Gliddon has briefly approached Lloyds with the option of potential relocation within the proposed development. "However, Lloyds has received no outline of details of the potential size, lease details, costs or timescale which all need to be carefully considered before a relocation." Ms Hicks said the current branch had a good position on the village's main shopping street and any relocation away from Fore Street would result in "reduced visibility". She said the bank would have to endure unforeseen relocation costs if Mr Gliddon - who owns the firm's current office building - went ahead with the partial demolition plan. And she warned: "There is no guarantee that the proposed new units will be suitable for Lloyds and, therefore, there is uncertainty around relocation." She also believed the loss of Lloyds on the main shopping street would have a significant detrimental impact on the vitality and viability of the village centre. Mr Gliddon has previously been refused planning consent to develop land behind his Bank Street workshops for a supermarket and has now submitted new plans. He claims the revised scheme has widespread support, while new evidence has been used to calculate the need for a new store and better pedestrian links have been proposed between the site and the main shopping area in Fore Street. But many local people remain unconvinced and hundreds have signed a petition opposing the development. Williton Parish Council met on Monday to discuss its response to the application, and while members welcomed the fact Mr Gliddon had now addressed some of their previous concerns, they still questioned the implications of the scheme. Parish councillors said they too feared the loss of Lloyds Bank, especially as it was on the only bank in the village with disabled access. They raised concerns about traffic flows and congestion around Bridge Street, the A39 and proposed supermarket junctions, and said Williton was already a "bottleneck" and the development would make matters worse. Councillors said that if the supermarket went ahead, a financial contribution should be made by the developer towards the cost of providing an inner relief road for the village, and they noted the loss of a number of on-street car parking spaces outside the existing Gliddon's store. The council also raised concerns about having two roundabouts in close proximity in Priest Street and said the land could be unsafe to build on, fearing it may have previously been used to bury waste material "including old tractors, oil and waste agricultural equipment".