PLANS have been submitted to build a new Co-op convenience store on the northern edge of Looe, with developers claiming it would provide much-needed shopping facilities for residents while having no significant impact on the town centre.

The application has been lodged with Cornwall Council for land west of Kimlers Way, St Martin, seeking permission for a convenience store with 21 parking spaces, servicing facilities and landscaping.

The proposed store would have a gross floorspace of around 407 square metres, including less than 250 square metres of retail space, and would stock everyday essentials, newspapers and household groceries.

Planning documents say the store is intended to serve residents living in Looe's hillside and hilltop neighbourhoods, where retail provision is currently limited, reducing the need to travel into the town centre for day-to-day shopping.

A retail statement submitted with the application says the proposal falls well below the 2,500 square metre threshold that would require a formal retail impact assessment under the National Planning Policy Framework – and adds any trade lost by existing stores would be spread across several businesses and would not threaten established retailers, including the town's Co-op stores.

The application site has a long planning history. It formed part of the major housing development approved at Kimlers Way in 2011 and was originally safeguarded for employment uses. Outline permission was granted earlier this year for 18 commercial units on the site, but retail use was excluded because no sequential test had been carried out.

Developers say they considered alternative sites closer to the town centre but concluded none were suitable because of limited parking, servicing difficulties and planning constraints.

If approved, the development would include a new pedestrian link to Kimlers Way, 21 parking spaces, including an accessible bay, servicing facilities and landscaping.

Cornwall Council will decide the application following a period of public consultation.