PLANS to build a £7 million supermarket in the centre of a Hampshire village have been rejected by one vote.

District councillors went against the advice of planning officers and refused to support proposals for a 2,000 square metre Lidl store on a car park in St John’s Street, Hythe.

The scheme was defeated by seven votes to six - despite the promise of 40 jobs and claims the supermarket would boost the local economy.

The decision was greeted with groans of despair and cries of “absolute farce” from Lidl supporters sitting in the public gallery.

Councillors stressed that Hythe would benefit from a budget supermarket but criticised the design of the proposed development, saying the site was next to an historic area that included the Grade II-listed St John’s Church.

Cllr Steve Rippon-Swaine, pictured, described the store as a “large tin box” and claimed it resembled the type of building normally found on industrial estates.

“It would just sit there and ruin the rest of the village,” he said.

Cllr Maureen Holding added: “It seems to me that profit is seen here as being more important than conservation. It would not be suitable to put a building like this next to a wonderful old church.”

Members of the public who spoke at the meeting included the vicar of St John’s, the Rev Jo Elvidge.

She criticised the “industrial-style” design of the supermarket, adding that the sale of cheap alcohol in the store could result in people vandalising the church and using the graveyard as a toilet.

Cllr Graham Parkes, representing the local parish council, said the loss of 150 parking spaces would damage the vitality of the village centre.

But James Mitchell, representing the applicant, said the “overwhelming majority” of people in the Hythe area supported plans for a Lidl outlet in the village.

Mr Mitchell claimed that the scheme would enable Hythe to claw back some of the money lost to other discount stores in the area - including the Totton branch of Lidl.

He said the company aimed to soften the impact of the Hythe branch by using local brickwork and planting more trees than normal.

Planning officers urged councillors to approve the proposal, saying the supermarket would help Hythe by attracting more shoppers to the village.

Members who supported the application included Alison Hoare, who praised what she described as the store’s “flagship” design.

Cllr Hoare added: “It’s going to look better when it’s up than we all think. This will work if the landscaping is spot on.”