DISCOUNT supermarket Lidl has submitted a planning application to build a store on the former Aquasplash site in Seaward Way, Minehead.

The land where the former pool and leisure centre complex used to stand, between the Tesco car park and the roundabout for Morrisons, has stood empty since West Somerset Council closed Aquasplash in 2007 because it was not financially viable.

Cllr Kate Kravis said: “West Somerset Council is doing what we said we’d do and selling this asset.

“The money raised from the sale will be used to pay off the debts the council has to help us achieve a balanced budget.”

Supporting documents with the application say the development will create a range of jobs, from sales assistants to security guards, and the “majority of these jobs will be recruited locally, providing a boost to the area’s economy”.

Town councillor Gary Miele said: “It’s going to create jobs and Minehead needs employment. “It’s a shame it can’t be built in the town centre, but then again there isn’t any room there.

“I think it’s a great alternative to Tesco and Morrisons for shoppers and employees.”

However, Minehead Chamber of Commerce fears Lidl will have a negative effect on the town centre.

Chairman Graham Sizer said: “Though everyone has been expecting an application to be issued for some time it still saddens me as chairman of the chamber that on my watch the majority of our town’s total retail floor space and spend will have shifted from the traditional town centre to the edge of town. Can any centre survive on that?

“We lost an awful lot of good shops in the centre when Tesco came and we’ve lost a further third of our convenience stores since Morrisons was built.

“We get an awful lot of support from West Somerset Council, but they have to admit the town centre in this planning case is a sacrificial lamb to allow them to survive financially.”

A decision on the application is due to be made before April 21.