PLANS for a new budget supermarket have been rejected despite huge public support.

Budget store Aldi applied in March 2015 to build a 12,000 sq ft store with 78 parking associated parking spaces on Avenue West at the Skyline 120 Business Park in Great Notley.

The application, which would create up to 50 jobs, was debated at the Braintree Council planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

Although two councillors voted in support for the supermarket, the committee following the planning officer’s recommendation and blocked it.

Aldi claimed 90 per cent of people in the local area supported their plans and suggested Tesco was building up a monopoly on the town, a claim which councillors refuted, saying each application was judge on its merits.

Alistair Close, representing Aldi on behalf of Planning Potential, said: “I would like to thank the number of supporters we have had involved in the project.

"With so much support it is to be honest disappointing that we are here with a recommendation for refusal.”

Noel Carrera, a Great Notley resident, added: “The responses were very positive about the application, in fact 64 have been received in favour.”

Council officers said the land, part of the most successful industrial site in the district, should be maintained for employment use.

A similar site to the north-west of Braintree is part of the proposed growth centre within the town.

It was decided that if the application was approved it would have an adverse affect on this proposal.

John O’Reilly-Cicconi (Conservative, Gosfield), also questioned Aldi’s claim the shop would draw trade predominantly from Great Notley.

He said: “I was surprised to get a support letter from my own ward in Gosfield, so there is no question of whether the customers are going to just be from Great Notley.

“I think those that want an Aldi will travel but that is beside the point.

“The agreement here is it is a question of whether the sequential test has been reached or not.

“I have come to the conclusion that it is in breach, I do not have the necessary expertise and I am well aware that I am relying on our own experts in.

“So it is an expert against an expert and I believe our expert should be supported.”

Peter Schwier (Conservative, Three Fields) voted in favour of the application.

He said: “I do have a lot of sympathy with the complaints made from the people of Great Notley and the applicant that there is a pub nearby and there is a retail use close to the site.

"I am having a lot of difficulty with this, because I think as a site this would bring a lot of benefit to the Braintree District and beyond.”

An Aldi spokesman said it was considering its options but remained committed to opening a supermarket in the area.