A PLAN to build a new supermarket in Hook is set to move forward – despite opposition from some villagers.

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has applied to build a 30,000sq ft store on land to the north of London Road, near its junction with the B3349.

The planning committee at Hart District Council was due to discuss the application last night, after officers recommended it be approved, subject to backing from Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

The recommendation for approval will come as a blow to some in the village, as 134 letters of objection were sent in to the district council.

Objections included increased traffic on the A30, the B3349 and residential roads, loss of trade for retailers in the centre of the village and the urbanisation of Hook.

But planning officers said the application would make a “significant positive contribution to the local economy” in creating new jobs.

The report added: “The proposed development, subject to any suitable mitigation, should not harm the overall vitality and viability of Hook centre or other centres in Hart.

“The proposal has also met the sequential test and is located in a site identified by the council for strategic mixed use development.”

It added that the proposal would not prejudice a proposed residential development for more than 400 homes to the north and east of the site.

The approval would also be subject to Sainsbury’s funding improvements to the roundabout at the junction of the A30 and B3349, a cycleway along the B3349 Griffin Way North and pedestrian routes to the site.

As reported in The Gazette, Tesco has also proposed building a new supermarket on its current site in Station Road, which would be the same size of the planned Sainsbury’s store.