MINEHEAD could increase its share of the cash spent by food-hungry local shoppers by as much as seven per cent if a new Morrisons supermarket opens in the town, according to the developer behind the scheme.

But opponents believe the proposed new supermarket could cost smaller towns such as Porlock as much as 75 per cent of their current food-related trade and have called for an independent retail study to be carried out as a matter of urgency.

RPS Consultants, who carried out both an original and now newly updated retail impact assessment on behalf of developer Chelverton Deeley Freed, claim the amount of money being spent on food-related purchases in the town has fallen over the last five years.

Their assessment said Minehead took 47.5 per cent of all the cash available in the district for food shopping in 2004 and that figure had dropped to 43.8 per cent.

But they predict the figure will rise to 51.1 per cent if West Somerset Council gives planning permission for a Morrisons supermarket to be built on Minehead's Vulcan Road car park.

RPS claim the biggest loser will be the existing Tesco store and that smaller traders are likely to benefit from increased turnover as Morrisons attracts more people to the town.

As revealed in last month's Free Press, Chelverton was told to redraft the retail impact assessment, one of a myriad of reports that accompany the Vulcan Road application and the key document which focuses on the impact the supermarket could have on the town centre.

Planning experts employed by the district council to act as independent scrutineers had warned that the original retail impact assessment was not good enough as it had been based on "out of date information" - namely the much-criticised Donaldson's retail survey carried out for the district council in 2004.

Like Donaldson's, the RPS assessment reaches largely the same conclusion - Minehead both needs and has the capacity to cope with a new food-based supermarket.

The firm used the results of a random telephone shopping questionnaire to update its retail assessment, with West Somerset residents being asked about their shopping habits, and their answers have resulted in changes to predicted spending, amounting to millions of pounds in some cases.

According to the original RPS study, Minehead would have a pot of £20.9 million for Morrisons to tap into by 2016, but in the new version that has shrunk to £18 million, while the Donaldson's study predicted it would be £14 million.

Like Donaldson's, the RPS report calculates Minehead can easily accommodate a new food store.

"Overall, it is not expected that the proposed Morrisons will have any significant adverse effect on the vitality or viability of Minehead town centre as a whole," says the report.

"Indeed, it is likely that the additional employment that will be provided - approximately 200 jobs - will generate increased local expenditure in local shops, which combined with increased spin-off trade resulting from the increased attraction of Minehead as a shopping location, will assist the vitality and viability of the centre.

"For the same reasons, we would not expect any other centres in West Somerset to experience any material trade diversion, particularly as they principally perform a localised main food and top-up function within their local areas."

However, according to RPS's figures, traders in the 'zone two' area, which includes Porlock, are predicted to see a drop in their current "top up" shopping trade of 75 per cent if Morrisons opens.

RPS believe the existing Tesco supermarket will be hit the hardest and could lose at least £10.4 million a year to a new Morrisons.

The study claims an additional supermarket in Minehead will enable the district to claw back around £4.8 million currently being spent in Taunton, Bridgwater and Tiverton.

RPS said Minehead and West Somerset had lost trade in the years since the Donaldson's report as new supermarkets had opened in each of the three largest neighbouring towns.

And in Minehead itself, Kwik Save had become a Somerfield, Woolworths had closed and an Iceland store had opened.

RPS said Somerfield had been acquired by the Co-operative, which had been told it would have to sell its Minehead Somerfield store in the interests of fair trade.

But despite the Office of Fair Trading stipulating that the Somerfield outlet must be sold as a "viable and active business . . . in the provision of grocery retailing", RPS were confident it would not be used as a food outlet: "Co-op has undertaken to dispose of this store and we believe it likely that it will be taken by a comparison retailer."

Comparison goods are deemed to be DIY, electrical, clothing, furniture and footwear.

RPS added: "We have assessed the town centre to see whether there have been any material changes since the Donaldson's study was completed in 2005.

"We have concluded that none are significant in terms of the vitality and viability - vacancy levels remain well below the national average and there have been no significant changes in retailer representation."

Marcus Kravis, Minehead Chamber of Trade chairman, said the results of the update and the differences in the figures simply proved the need for the district council to conduct its own up-to-date, independent retail study.

He said the chamber simply wanted what was best for Minehead as a whole and had to be certain major decisions affecting its future were based on "sound information".

"With such a report it is impossible to be too specific at this point, but it seems to make assumptions that could possibly and most likely will be challenged," he said.

"Compared with the Donaldson's 2004 survey, residents of Porlock and Watchet appear to have diverted their trade back to their own stores in a substantial way.

"The only loss has been significant leakage towards Taunton and Bridgwater over the past five years from people who actually live closer to Taunton and Bridgwater than they do to Minehead.

"In Minehead, new greengrocers and bakers are emerging and we already have an alternative large food store.

"Minehead is re-identifying itself with its residents and this should be allowed to flourish."

He said the council had a clear commitment to undertake its own retail capacity study as part of a statutory planning document known as the Local Development Framework and said traders had a right to know when it would be done.

"What we do not want to see is this application decided then a new survey coming out just afterwards," Mr Kravis said.

Chelverton was chosen by the district council as its development partner in the Vulcan Road project, while the council is both the landowner and the planning authority and is relying on the multi-million pound Morrisons deal to save itself from financial ruin.

The Morrisons' planning application is due to be considered at a special meeting of West Somerset Council's planning committee on September 10.