One of the UK's big four supermarkets has lodged an appeal over plans to build new homes on Cheddar land once earmarked for a new store.

Sainsbury's was granted permission in 2012 to build a new supermarket on the Steart Farm site in Cheddar – permission which has since expired.

The company subsequently put forward plans to build an unspecified number of houses on the site, claiming there is no demand for a shop in the area.

Sedgemoor District Council voted down the plans in March, arguing they went against the village's wishes to secure employment land.

The supermarket has now lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate hoping to overturn the decision.

The appeal was confirmed in agenda papers published before a virtual meeting of the council's development committee on Tuesday (May 19).

The site lies on the B3151 Lower New Road to the west of the existing Cheddar Business Park.

Sainsbury's took over the village's Budgens store on Roynon Way in 2016, and still operates a store from that location.

Supermarket spokeswoman Caroline Huett told the development committee on March 3 that the site was "surplus to our requirement" and had been marketed since 2015 without success.

She said: "We wrote to 631 companies within a ten-mile radius of Cheddar, and found that the only serious interest was from house-builders."

Cheddar's neighbourhood plan, which was approved in a referendum in September 2018, identifies the Steart Farm site for future employment rather than residential development.

Councillor Paul Fineran – who represents Cheddar and Shipham – said keeping this site for employment would ensure future residents "do not have to commute to a significant extent".

A council spokesman said: "The proposal for the residential development of this site, which is allocated by the Cheddar Neighbourhood Plan for employment uses, would lead to the premature loss of this well-placed employment land that would support sustainable communities."

The Planning Inspectorate has not confirmed whether the appeal will be held by a public inquiry or written representations. The outcome of the appeal will be published later in the year.