SUPERMARKET giant Tesco looks set to try for a new store in the centre of Halesworth after all.There has been speculation about the chain opening a store in the town for years.

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco looks set to try for a new store in the centre of Halesworth after all.

There has been speculation about the chain opening a store in the town for years. And the EDP reported last month that the company had decided against building one on land it owns off the Thoroughfare.

But Tesco confirmed last night that it was hoping to build a supermarket on a larger site off Saxons Way and Angel Link, near the Rainbow supermarket.

The company does not own the site but has a contract under which it will buy it if it obtains planning consent. The site has been classed by Waveney council as suitable for development, but no proposals have previously come forward.

A planning application will follow later this year after public consultation. There may also be an application for a mixed development on the Thoroughfare site, including homes and shop-ping space but not a supermarket.

The company will not say how big a store it is proposing.

Spokesman Michael Kissman said: “The Angel Link site can provide a store that will meet our customer requirements in Halesworth. It will bring new shoppers to the town and be a boost for trade in the centre. Whilst we have bought the Thoroughfare site, we agree with some of the concerns raised locally regarding a supermarket there. Instead, we will now be bringing forward plans for a more appropriate, smaller-scale development in the town centre.

Halesworth Town Council has discussed the proposals, and chairman Janet Wright said she had attended a meeting with representatives from Tesco on Friday.

Town councillor Ezra Leverett said: “At long last this is an opportunity to talk constructively about the site. It will have an enormous effect on the middle of the town, and we want to make sure that whatever goes there does not detract from our thriving market town.”