Ilminster Mayor Norman Campbell, writing on behalf of members of the town council, has restated their position on the supermarket application for Shudrick Lane in a letter to the News.
Mr Campbell said: "The decision to give planning permission for the food store was agreed by the town council and the district council after considerable public debate and consultation over the last year or so.
"A recent survey by the Ilminster Forum, a voluntary body of local people, to establish what the townspeople of Ilminster wanted in the way of improved recreational, leisure and other facilities in the town, showed a strong majority in favour of the food store."
The Mayor told the News that the town council has always tried to work closely with the chamber of commerce and has always considered the interests of the town's traders in any decisions it has made.
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