Members of Sheringham Town Council have voted to oppose Tesco's latest bid to build a store in the town.Their 10-3 vote will be sent on to North Norfolk District Council who will make the final decision in the coming weeks.

Members of Sheringham Town Council have voted to oppose Tesco's latest bid to build a store in the town.

Their 10-3 vote will be sent on to North Norfolk District Council who will make the final decision in the coming weeks.

Tesco's plans involves demolition of buildings, building a 1,175 sq m supermarket, five smaller shops, two flats and a community space off the Cromer Road.

The council opposed the scheme on the basis of inappropriate design, unacceptable traffic impact, loss of housing, detrimental effect on the character and appearance of the town and the impact on the viability and vitality of the town's retail core.

Tesco has been trying to build a store in the town for more than a decade and its latest amended plans for a smaller store, reduced by 21pc from a previous plan, were submitted last month using award-winning architects Wilkinson Eyre.

Those who spoke in support of the application included Mac McGinn, who said that if the application had been from any other supermarket business other than Tesco, it would have been built 10 years ago.

Mr McGinn said shopping facilities in the town were 'nowhere near what we should have in this century' and questioned why people should be forced to travel to Cromer for their main supermarket shopping trips.

But the weight of opinion was against the plan, with the imminent opening of a Sainsbury's Local in the former Woolworths mentioned as making a significant contribution to the town's shopping needs.

Peter Cox accused Tesco of manipulating statistics and making misleading claims, adding: 'How can we establish a bond of trust with them?'

He also said the design of the proposed store featured too much glass and metal, adding: 'Award winning architects don't always get it right.'

The town council decision will be accompanied by a letter outlining not only the five reasons for objection given at a special meeting on Tuesday night but also a fuller explanation of their views.

Tesco spokesman Nick Gellatly told the North Norfolk News: "I'm positive - last week members heard from some of our many supporters, our plans also tackle the planning issues these decisions should be made on. I hope North Norfolk District Council considers both.

"The same town council voted in favour of a store quite some distance from the town centre, whilst our proposal is the only decent sized supermarket close by, which is what Government policy requires.

"Most importantly Tesco will offer what people tell us they need - a good value, good quality supermarket with enough shopping choice so they don't have to leave Sheringham. Those in favour of our plans have spoken up; they should tell North Norfolk District Council what they think."

District council planning committee members will visit the Tesco site on Thursday, October 8 at about 9.30am - but no decision will be taken until a formal committee meeting.