Newton Abbot mayor, Cllr Daphne Watts, has said plans for another large supermarket in the town are misguided and instead called for moves to preserve its character. Teignbridge councillors are being urged to approve a report which suggests that within the next 10 years the market town should find room for another store, roughly the size of the new Asda. They will be told that as the town grows it will be left short of retail space to the tune of 6,250 sq m, which should be catered for by the construction of a 'main' supermarket and two other smaller ones. They are also being encouraged to support plans for a 'medium' sized supermarket in Dawlish in a bid to stop shoppers drifting to Exeter. Teignmouth, they have been advised, can make do with the supermarket it already has although additional convenience stores, such as the one proposed for the County Garage site, could be developed. Those are the findings of Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners, the firm commissioned by Teignbridge Council to evaluate the future of the district's retail businesses. The firm has advised the council that the extra shopping space should be planned within the new Local Development Framework. But Cllr Watts said that what Newton Abbot needed was individuality. 'I feel we are well served by supermarkets and will continue to be so even if the town expands,' she said. 'What we are looking for is a bit of character. We should be looking for more individual shops. I know that many town centres have a large number of national retailers but that leaves us vulnerable to take overs and falls in market share.' Looking for support from her district council colleagues she added: 'I would hope that Newton Abbot councillors will say that enough is enough.' In Dawlish, deputy mayor, Cllr Rosalind Prowse, cautiously welcomed the report, acknowledging that with a predicted growth of 400 homes a new store would be needed. Teignmouth mayor, Cllr Geoff Bladon, also found himself in broad agreement with the recommendations but called for an urgent resolution to the town's flood defence programme in a bid to attract quality shops. 'I know that there are two major retailers who want walk through stores in the town but the uncertainty associated with the flood defence scheme is stopping them,' he said. The report is due to be discussed on Monday.