A WISBECH retail park has been refused permission to expand the range of goods it can sell because planners fear it could hit traders in the town centre. Belgrave Retail Park, off Cromwell Road, is home to Dunelm, Currys, Halfords and Carpetright but the

A WISBECH retail park has been refused permission to expand the range of goods it can sell because planners fear it could hit traders in the town centre.

Belgrave Retail Park, off Cromwell Road, is home to Dunelm, Currys, Halfords and Carpetright but the site owners had hoped to lift restrictions.

Those hopes were quashed shortly before Christmas when Nigel Brown, chief planning officer for Fenland District Council, issued refusal notices to Belgrave Land Ltd.

"There is no evidence of a quantitative or qualitative need for the proposed widening of the sale of goods at the retail park," said Mr Brown.

"The development would be likely to have an adverse trade impact on the individual stores in Wisbech town centre, as well as the town centre as a whole."

Dunelm is the largest trader with some 22,000 square feet of sales space, with Currys having 11,000 square feet, Halfords 10,000 square feet and Carpetright 5,000 square feet.

In its application Belgrave said the existing floor space would not be increased by the proposal.