Plans for a new Sainsbury's store to be built on the site of a former pub in Borough Green are facing strong opposition.

The supermarket chain is set to take over the Henry Simmonds Pub in Wrotham Road, and replace it with a new local convenience store.

However, members of the Tonbridge and Malling Green Party said the proposal is not beneficial for the area, and should be refused by councillors.

They are concerned there is not enough business in the area for another store of this nature.

Howard Porter, a member of the party said: "There is already a Cooperative next to the station, Nisa on the High Street and Loco on Sevenoaks Road. In addition there is an independent butcher, greengrocer, florist and newsagent.

"Even with the expanded population of the village resulting from the Isles Quarry development, it is debatable whether there will be the spending power within the village to support another retailer of this nature."

Mr Porter believes a Sainsbury's store will have a negative impact on established retailers, and the variety of retail offer within the village will be undermined.

He added: "We have seen this happen elsewhere when large supermarkets move into local economies.

"They threaten the commercial viability of other retailers, restrict choice and diversity and, as a result, the community as a whole suffers.

"It leads to the "clone-town Britain" effect where everything is just the same wherever you go. At the moment, Borough Green has an attractive variety of local stores with some larger chains.

"We believe that a new Sainsbury's would have a disruptive effect that would threaten this balanced and be detrimental to both the local business and wider village community."

However, when the proposal was announced, Mark Rush, Sainsbury's regional acquisitions manager said: “The site, with its close proximity to the High Street, is well situated to help to increase footfall for the benefit of existing traders as well as delivering investment and up to 25 new jobs to the area.”

Supermarket bosses also said it would provide space on the site for a dedicated delivery area, to ensure service vehicles don't impact too much on surrounding roads.

"We would like to see community life strengthened with more amenities for local people not yet more retail that simply duplicates what is already there" - Howard Porter, Tonbridge and Malling Green Party...

Party members are still concerned that the installation of this local store would contribute to already troubling traffic in the area, and will continue a noticeable loss of amenities.

"Over the years there has been a marked loss of amenities in Borough Green and the conversion of the Henry Simmonds public house will only contribute further to this 'social desert' effect," Mr Ported continued.

"We would like to see community life strengthened with more amenities for local people not yet more retail that simply duplicates what is already there.

"It must be said that, in its favour, Sainsbury's has a better environmental record than some of the other supermarkets but this, in itself is insufficient to enable us to support this proposed store and we would ask Sainsbury's to be mindful of their local impacts before pressing ahead with this.

"We would also hope that the parish council and Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council will oppose this development. "

The Green Party says there is a need to prioritise the role of small and medium sized businesses against that of the 'corporate monopolies'.

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