Colchester Council has come out fighting in its determination to save the town centre despite two major stores closing.

Marks and Spencer announced this week it was closing its High Street shop when the new branch opens at Stane Park retail centre in Stanway this autumn.

It follows the closure of the flagship Debenhams shop shutting in the Culver Square shopping centre last year.

Gazette: Residents worry the closure of M&S will spell the end of the vibrant town centreResidents worry the closure of M&S will spell the end of the vibrant town centre

But the council says there is a masterplan blueprint to regenerate Colchester town centre.

It is aiming to use funding from an £18 million Government grant to invest in the town centre to keep the area attractive for shoppers, who voiced their dismay at Marks and Spencer’s decision to close the High Street store.

Read more:

• Tesco petrol stations close as protestors disrupt deliveries

• New 66 home estate in Stanway to go ahead after approval

• A12 crash at Boreham leaves man with 'serious injuries'

A statement from Lindsay Barker, the strategic director of policy and place at Colchester Council, said the town centre had already started to reap the benefits of investment – particularly with the redevelopment of St Nicholas Square and Balkerne Gate public realms.

She said: “The multimillion-pound investment in the town centre has already begun to pay dividends, with some exciting projects either already begun or planned that are crucial in terms of Colchester’s post-pandemic economic recovery and which will provide a huge confidence boost for local businesses, helping to both create and sustain jobs.

Gazette: M&S has had a store in Colchester for over 90 yearsM&S has had a store in Colchester for over 90 years

“The council will continue to work closely with its partners and local stakeholders to deliver an exciting new masterplan that will make Colchester Town Centre and the wider borough an even better place to live in, to work in and to visit.”

Once Marks and Spencer’s move from the High Street to Stane Retail Park is completed this autumn, however, Colchester High Street will almost certainly have two vacant major retail units following the closure of Debenhams in May last year.

Campaigners, as well as Colchester MP Will Quince, are trying to force Marks and Spencer into a rethink.

A petition calling on supermarket bosses to reverse their decision has accumulated close to 2,000 signatures, and, in a post on social media, Will Quince said bosses at Marks and Spencer had agreed to his request for an urgent meeting on the matter.