A campaign group is gathering momentum in its bid to save Colchester’s High Street branch of Marks and Spencer from closure.

An online petition via the website change.org has gained 2,500 signatures, as people look to force retail bosses to rethink their decision to replace the town centre branch with a new store at Stane Retail Park, in Stanway.

Maarten and Sarah Westera, of Highwoods, Colchester, were do disappointed with the announcement of the move that they decided to launch the petition, which quickly gained support from residents across Colchester.

Campaign organiser Sarah Westera said: “I am not a very outspoken person normally and I certainly have never started a petition before so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“But I knew I would not be the only one feeling so angry about this – it was the final straw for me following terrible news about shops closing in our town.”

In an online blog, the Westeras argue the store’s closure, which is scheduled for this autumn, would have a harmful effect on independent businesses in Colchester as well as the atmosphere in the town centre.

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She added: “We need a healthy vibrant town centre for the sake of all our mental health.
“It’s time the voices of ordinary people are listened to by those in charge, both in politics and in big business.

“Decisions are made behind closed doors in expensive board rooms which bare little or no regard for how these affect ordinary people.”

The Westeras were hopeful of further support for their campaign after a public meeting at Firstsite yesterday.

Following the announcement of the new store, Andrew Icke, Marks and Spencer’s regional manager, said the move responded to changing shopping habits.

e said: “We’re rotating our store estate to make sure we have the right stores to offer our customers a brilliant shopping experience.

“We appreciate the current store closure may be disappointing news for some, but we believe this is the right decision to invest in a new store for the local area so we can deliver the very best of M&S for customers in Colchester.”