Proposals for an out-of-town Boots superstore are on the table for the Turner Rise development in Colchester.

But planners are reluctant to give the chemist giant permission to build as they fear the store will encourage shoppers to move out of the town centre.

Work has already started on the large steel frames of the units next to Asda, giving residents in the new Persimmon Homes site off Turner Road a bird's eye view of the construction site.

This Is Essex revealed last year that electrical stores Bennetts and Tempo and furniture chain Courts were interested in taking up three of the units. And today Boots has entered the scene.

It wants to build a 1,400sq ft sq metre store which would sell pharmaceutical products, health and beauty ranges and baby and young children's products as well as having a photographic processing laboratory.

The company argues that it should be allowed to "recover the market share" it claims it lost to out-of-town food superstores which sell health and beauty products similar to its own.

Boots argues that opening a store at Turner Rise would have a "minimal" impact on the town centre since customers would use the new outlet instead of the superstores, not instead of making trips into the centre.

And bosses say they would "remain fully committed to supporting the town centre," pointing out that the company contributes financially to town centre management group activities.

But with a new Government came a new ethos of supporting town centres and Labour is urging local authorities to make planning decision which support that ideal.

Experts at Colchester Council are following the boosting town centres line and have recommended that councillors refuse Boots permission for their new scheme.

A report to Thursday's planning meeting says: "The council's shopping policies seek to maintain and promote the attraction and vitality of Colchester town centre."

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