Plans for new community shop in Elmsett submitted after former shop’s closure

Plans for a new village community shop have been submitted following a former shop’s closure.

The bid to turn an existing storeroom within the village hall in Elmsett, in The Street, into a community shop was submitted to Babergh District Council at the tail end of last month.

It was submitted by Robert Scott on behalf of the Elmsett and Aldham village hall management committee and followed the closure of the existing village shop in March this year due to not being commercially viable.

In a statement, Mr Scott said a public meeting was held the same weekend of the closure, where some 80 residents shared the impact it would have on their lives.

He added: “Many residents, particularly the older residents, relied on the shop to obtain their food essentials, especially those who are unable to drive and therefore travel to the nearby town of Hadleigh or Ipswich to get to supermarkets.

“The consensus at the meeting was that there is a need for a convenience type shop in the Village and that whilst a commercially run shop was apparently not viable, a not-for-profit community-owned, shop was needed.”

If approved, the shop would be run by a community benefit society and be owned by its members, who would be able to purchase shares at £10 each.

Several access and infrastructure proposals were also included following concerns raised by Elmsett Primary School over pupil safety due to more footfall in the area while students used the village hall.

Some of these changes would include building a fence around the play area with gated access and signage asking the public to avoid using it while it is being used by the school, as well as the creation of a new path children can use without crossing paths with customers to access the hall for lunches or lessons.

The new shop could be used by residents for household essentials, fresh fruit and vegetables, pre-packaged cold meat and dairy items, ready meals, tinned and packaged groceries, frozen food, as well as sweets and snacks.

Mr Scott said: “The village needs to have a shop back up and running quickly, to support those struggling to get out of the village to do their shopping, especially given local road closures and the lack of public transport serving our communities.

“In the future, if the premises are no longer required for a Community Shop, the space will become a meeting room that can be hired to local groups separately from the main hall space.”

The application is currently under consideration by Babergh District Council.