PLANS to create a 10,000 square metre retail park in a town are due to progress to the next stage as the district council seeks to assuage shopkeepers' fears over unfair competition.

Epping Forest District Council's cabinet agreed to enter into preliminary negotiations with the owners of the site next to its depot in Langston Road, Loughton, with a view to putting forward a joint proposal that the land be marketed for retail use.

Legal and estates portfolio holder Lesley Wagland said the new retail park would be good for the area as currently 85.6 per cent of the local population had to travel out of the district for goods such as DIY, electrics and furniture.

She said: “The site would bring a wide range of goods to the area and provide help to the Loughton Broadway traders.”

Council leader Di Collins agreed adding: “I think this is a sensible thing to do. Even in this present economic climate there's quite a lot of interest in this double site.”

Loughton district councillor Caroline Pond thought there were still many questions that needed to be answered about the project.

She said: “As with all developments there will be some in favour and some against. I've already had someone phoning me telling me they were against. We need to protect our residents and ask lots of questions.”

She asked how restrictions would be placed on units at the retail park to ensure a supermarket would not move in or a shop selling goods which would compete with the Broadway, and Mrs Wagland replied restrictions could be inserted by covenant or through planning regulations.

Before the council goes ahead with the scheme it has commissioned a traffic survey into the area, and has mooted the possibility of expanding Chigwell Lane into a dual carriageway.

There was widespread agreement that there were serious highways issues with the project.

Mrs Collins said: “The highway is the problem. It's busy all the time and we need to find what's the best way of getting in and out of that site.”

Loughton district councillor David Wixley said: “I well understand about consultation with the Broadway Town Centre Partnership but there's another group that needs to be taken into account- local residents particularly those in Chigwell Lane. A dual carriageway will have quite an impact on their lives.”

Mr Wixley also asked about the possibility of a cinema taking one of the slots at the new retail park.

Mrs Wagland said an arthouse cinema was a possibility but a multiplex would be unlikely in the current economic climate.