AN IMAGE of the proposed £15 million supermarket at Ryeford has been released following news that a planning application has been submitted to Stroud District Council.

Developers Property Alliance Group submitted the application after it released research which it says shows demand for a new foodstore at Ryeford to serve residents of Stonehouse and The Stanleys.

A postal survey issued to just over 5,500 householders found that 62 per cent supported the proposal and 68 per cent said the store would improve the site.

According to PAG, the store near the Ryeford junction on the Ebley bypass would bring a number of benefits, including 300 permanent jobs and the transformation of a disused brownfield site.

It also says a flood mitigation scheme would reduce flooding on the Ebley bypass without displacing the risk elsewhere.

And part-funding would be provided for a shuttle bus service for Stonehouse and The Stanleys.

Market research company NEMS also found that roughly three in four residents of Stonehouse and The Stanleys travel outside their local area for their main shopping.

It also claims the predicted impact on the turnover of Stonehouse town centre would be less than three per cent.

A spokesman for PAG said: "We have consulted extensively on the proposals and identified significant local support for a new store in this location.

"A new store in this location will provide local people with the choice and convenience of buying all of their food locally, resulting in fewer car trips and therefore lower emissions and reduced fuel bills.

"This development will bring great benefits locally by creating jobs, tackling flooding on the bypass and supporting a new shuttle bus service."

However, a spokesman for newly formed campaign group Stroud Against Supermarket Saturation said the survey showed a 'very mixed level of support'.

"Although it is clear that some residents would welcome the increased competition a new store would bring there are a large number of people that really don’t want another supermarket in the area," she added.

The planning application can be seen at www.tinyurl.com/kr897wy - the reference number is S.13/1498/FUL.