BUSINESS leaders in Williton are warning the village could lose its 'beating heart' if controversial plans for a major new supermarket go ahead.

And they are launching a campaign of opposition to the proposal being put forward by one of Williton's oldest family firms with a public meeting on Tuesday (March 1), kicking off action which could also involve petitions, the setting up of a 'Love Williton' website and lobbying of local councillors.

Williton Chamber of Commerce, which is behind the campaign, said the proposed development by J Gliddon and Sons would prove to be a watershed moment for the future of Fore Street, the village's retail centre.

As previously unveiled in the Free Press, the agricultural machinery specialists want to transform their current premises in Bank Street, and land behind, into a development which promises to deliver 150 jobs.

But the proposal, which would include a supermarket just under half the size of Minehead's new Morrisons store, has sparked a raft of objections locally.

Chamber chairman Ken Westall, who runs the White House guest house in Long Street, said the village currently had a vibrant local trading community.

"Do we really want the future of our village shaped by a large corporate predator like Sainbury or Tesco?" he said.

"I am not sure people understand the scale of the potential impact on Williton as we know it."

Mr Westall said one Fore Street trader had recently told a chamber meeting that the village would be left with just a couple of hairdressers, an antique shop, Indian restaurant and a fish and chip outlet if the Gliddon's scheme went ahead.

Greengrocer Edward Martin claimed his shop would close, along with the newsagents and the existing Spar and Co-op supermarkets, and that the butcher's and post office would also probably disappear.

"In the short term, Fore Street could become full of boarded up shops," said Mr Martin.

The chamber has enlisted the support of seasoned campaigner Stephen Gill, who successfully led opposition to a plan by supermarket giant Tesco to open a store in Wadebridge, Cornwall.

Mr Gill is a former chief planning officer with West Devon Council and he will be outlining the potential impact the proposed development could have on Williton at the public meeting at Danesfield Middle School, which gets underway at 6pm.

The chamber hopes the event will give local people and businesses the chance to air their views.

Chamber member Brian Tyner, who runs the village post office with his wife, said the majority of local businesses were opposed to the scheme in its present form.

"Gliddon's own figures predict that the existing Spar store would take a 23 per cent hit, with the Co-op 43 per cent," said Mr Tyner.

"The majority of the remaining shops would suffer around a 14 per cent drop. "That would mean the end for most businesses - for us, the pet shop, the butchers and greengrocers.

"Williton simply cannot take a third supermarket."

Mr Tyner said the proposed relocation of Lloyds Bank to the new site would reduce the footfall in the centre of the village and further hit trade for many shops.

The bank building is owned by Gliddon's and would be used to provide a pedestrian link from the site to the village as part of the development proposals.

The supermarket plans, which have been submitted to West Somerset Council, were originally unveiled by company spokesman David Gliddon in September 2009.

The latest proposals, which are still only in outline form, are largely similar to the original scheme.

In addition to a foodstore with up to 175 parking spaces, the development would include a further 1,300 gross square metres of units, plus office accommodation, five flats and a pedestrian link forming a precinct through to Fore Street.

Improvements would also be made to the junction of Bank Street, Priest Street and the site entrance with a mini roundabout.

Mr Gliddon previously told the Free Press that his company would retain its existing retail outlets and probably expand them.

"We would hope to capitalise on the increased footfall that the foodstore would bring," he said.

"The key thing is the number of jobs this would create."

Mr Gliddon said his company was keen to ensure the vitality and viability of the centre of Williton was maintained and enhanced at a time when it was facing increased competition from new developments in Minehead, Bridgwater and Taunton.

But Mr Westall said that although the proposed scheme included considerable extra free parking spaces, there was concern locally about the impact such a large development would have on traffic congestion in Williton, particularly with the planned park and ride for construction workers for Hinkley C nuclear power station in the pipeline.