Northampton mail sorting office planning permission granted
- Published
Plans to convert a disused mail building in Northampton into a supermarket have been approved.
The former sorting office on Barrack Road in Semilong has been empty since a fire in 2003.
Royal Mail, which owns the site, said they were keen to see it return to use and is in discussions with several supermarkets about its development.
However opponents of the plan say a supermarket would mean an increase in traffic in the area.
Martin Crutchley from the Semilong community forum said: "This supermarket will be the biggest thing to happen in Semilong since the original Royal Mail building was built in the 1970s.
"The impact on the local area will be significant and these planning conditions fail to address the faded and neglected amenity which is prevalent in Semilong."
The building has been empty since a fire in 2003.
Tesco had applied to build a store on the site but pulled out of the project earlier this month.
The application for planning was approved by Northampton Borough Council on Tuesday.
It follows a decision to approve plans for a new Waitrose supermarket in the Wooton area of Northampton.