Carmarthenshire planning committee has deferred consideration of proposals for a retail park at Cross Hands following a late intervention by representatives of the Co-op.

The committee was today due to discuss an application by Conygar Cross Hands Ltd for a retail park on land at Cross Hands West where Sainsbury’s had previously planned to build a supermarket. Permission for a supermarket and petrol station already exists.

The meeting was briefly adjourned for councillors to read correspondence sent by consultants for the Co-op.

Head of planning Llinos Quelch told the committee that since the report on the application had been prepared an application had come in for further development of the Co-op store in Cross Hands. That application was in the system but had not yet been registered.

Yesterday the council received a letter from consultants on behalf of the Co-op saying they had objections that the retail park plan should not be considered without all the information being presented to the committee and that the Cross Hands application should be a material planning consideration.

The Head of Planning said this information would have been included had it arrived in time for the report.

There was a potential that the consultants could advise the Co-op to make a legal challenge if the application was considered today, she said.

The committee decided to defer the application.

Planning Chairman Cllr Alun Lenny said after the meeting: “It is disappointing that this correspondence arrived at the 11th hour raising the possibility of legal challenge when this important development at Cross Hands was ready to go before the committee.

“On the face of it, it appears that some of the concerns raised have already been addressed but in order to satisfy themselves that no possible legal problem arises, the planning committee agreed to defer the application.

“It is anticipated that the application will come back before us in the next few weeks.”