The West Island Printers site in Freshwater, Isle of Wight. Picture by Jennifer Burton.
THE CO-OPERATIVE supermarket hopes to open a new, larger store on the Isle of Wight.
Southern Co-operative plans to move its Freshwater store from its current location, at Hooke Hill, across the road to Hocknull's Yard and the former West Island Printers site.
Store manager Tony McGuinness said: "We simply don’t have enough space in our current store to meet local demand.
"A new store will give us more space so we can offer a bigger range of products, especially fresh and local food.
"It will ensure we can offer a much better service, including improved parking facilities."
A public consultation event, to present the plans and gather the views of residents, will be held at the West Wight Sports Centre on October 25, 2pm to 8pm and October 26, from 9am to 2pm.
A planning application is due to be submitted following the consultation.
A decision has yet to be made on the future of the Hooke Hill site, which Southern Co-operative owns the freehold for.
If the plans go ahead, Hocknull's coal merchant will be relocated.
Previous plans to build 65 homes on the former West Island Printers site, submitted in 2009, were dropped after fierce opposition from Freshwater Parish Council.
Members objected on a variety of grounds, including overdevelopment of the site, flooding and drainage, traffic issues and the unknown effect on the ecologically sensitive Afton Marsh.
Reporter: emilyp@iwcpmail.co.uk