TOLLGATE Village was turned down for the second time last night at a heated planning meeting.

Councillors voted six to four against the proposals, arguing it would “suck the life out of the town centre”.

There was a heated debate as some argued Tollgate, which would be a mixture of shops, a cinema and restaurants, could live alongside the town centre.

Jackie Maclean, (Con) said: “The town centre can stand on its own two feet.

“Tollgate is a very useful little centre to nip to. I think we need choices of where to go. I don’t think it is as bad as you are making out.”

However, others disagreed, and planning officer Vincent Pearce said Tollgate was already encroaching on the town centre, without these new plans even being in place.

Chris Pearson, (Lab) who stood in for Rosalind Scott, said: “I came here tonight having read 122 pages of this report ready to be persuaded there might be some merit in this application.

“But I have heard no evidence this evening to support the application.”

Tollgate Village first came before the planning committee last December, and councillors were deadlocked when asked to vote to turn down the plans.

The then chairman of the planning committee Jon Manning used his casting vote to move in favour but the proposal had to be deferred for a risks report to be compiled because the vote went against the recommendation of officers.

At the second meeting in February, which was missed by two councillors who had previously voted in favour of Tollgate, members voted to turn down the application.

After a petition was launched calling for a rethink on the decision was signed by 2,500 people, the Tollgate Partnership, which is behind the plans, decided to resubmit its plans to the council.

The resubmitted application is fundamentally the same as the original, but it includes a more robust highways report which details improvements to the surrounding infrastructure, including the nearby A12 junction.

The Tollgate Partnership has also submitted an appeal for the original proposal, which will be decided by a Government planning inspector in January.

Speaking after last night’s decision, Daniel Watts and Jayne Gee, directors of Tollgate Partnership, said they were “disappointed”.

They said: “The committee, officers and council have turned their backs on private investment coming into the borough, ignored public opinion and rejected 1,000 new jobs.

“We remain determined to deliver these benefits for our town, so the fight will go on.”

The Government inspector will start to hear the appeal of the original planning application from January 10.