A LOSS in town centre trading in Nelson has been partially caused by the opening of the town's Morrisons store, claims a new study.

Pendle retail Study 2001, undertaken by Sheffield Hallam University and development land and planning consultants, refers to the negative impact Morrisons has had on smaller retailers.

It claims the store has taken 11 per cent of trade from town centre retailers, which were already performing poorly.

But it also points out that the money now being spent in Morrisons was previously being spent in Asda at Colne or out of the borough altogether, and 79 per cent of Nelson residents now spend their money in the town compared to 55 per cent before the development.

Businessman Peter Armfield, who has run his hairdressers in Cross Street for 25 years, said business had deteriorated in the last few years.

He said: "I thought Morrison's was being built with its front door right in front of me but it was built the wrong way for my business at the other side of the car park.

"People tend to drive along the motorway, drive in to Morrisons car park and drive back out again which is no good for me. The council bent over backwards to help Morrisons but they forget who built Nelson, the individual shops.

"Car parking is a problem too because they have to have a disc to come to us whereas its just a free car park for Morrisons. People don't have a good opinion of the town centre and they are not encouraged to come here."

When Morrisons applied for planning permission for the store, which opened in September 1999, an impact assessment said that the supermarket would provide new investment in the town, challenge Colne Asda's monopoly and stop the loss of business to Burnley.

It claimed it would demonstrate commercial confidence and generate spin-off investment by existing landowners and traders in the town centre.

Janet Bradbury, executive director of regeneration at Pendle Council, said the benefits of Morrison's far outweighed the disadvantages.

She said: "Morrisons has had a beneficial effect because it has created jobs and the level of people shopping in Nelson rather than outside the borough has gone up which has to be good for the town.

"The money spent in Morrisons was previously spent outside Nelson. Nearly half of the population was going elsewhere to shop. But now there is more competition for some of other retailers in the town.

"We now need to work with the other retailers in the town to improve their premises and help them improve what they can offer and reduce the impact Morrisons has had on their businesses."

No one from Morrisons was not available for comment.