IN a surprise announcement, a second developer has declared an interest in bringing a superstore to Looe.

Tesco is currently preparing plans with developers Mercian for a store at the Barbican, which would also include housing.

Now Hawks Meadow Properties Ltd, which has its head office in Birmingham, has said it wants to redevelop a site at Polean on the Millpool in West Looe.

Director John Carter said the plan would involve demolishing the present Jewsons and the industrial units, and rebuilding and relocating them within the proposed supermarket site with associated free car parking.

However, Mr Carter said everything would hinge on the outcome of the Tesco plans.

'Our problem is that Tesco is quite well advanced with its planning to build at the Barbican,' he said. 'The costs of preparing all the plans for our proposed development, including all the infrastructure, is quite prohibitive. This will not be undertaken if Tesco is successful and we will walk away.

'There is only room for one supermarket in Looe but I believe that we have the better site with no traffic dangers, and we are in a position to move the development forward. If the planners decide that we have the preferred site, we will be prepared to go ahead with our plans.'

Mr Carter added that all the main supermarket players had been made aware that there could be an alternative to Tesco at the Barbican, ready for development.

Hawks Meadow Properties Ltd has experience in supermarket development having recently worked on the Waitrose site at Wellington in Somerset.

Phil Gibson, of Looe, who is one of three landowners on the proposed site, the others being West Looe Town Trust and Cornwall Council, has spoken of his delight at the renewed interest in a supermarket at The Millpool.

A supermarket was first mooted there in the 1980s with Exeter-based Castle Court Holdings being the developer. Tesco was the store that had expressed the interest.

'I welcome this new proposal and scheme which would give the people of Looe the choice where they safely want to shop,' said Mr Gibson.

'I am aware that the Polean area would be more costly to develop, but the traffic movements and safety on the proposed site at the Barbican are an issue.'

Mr Gibson added that the Polean site was still the only one big enough for a supermarket within Looe's development boundary. The Tesco site is outside the boundary.