SAINSBURY'S plans for a new store at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield have received mixed reactions.

Residents who spoke to the Evening Post gave a wide range of views with some in support while others had concerns about traffic, the need to protect independent traders on Gloucester Road and worries over noise and pollution from delivery lorries.

Ward Councillor Bev Knott (Lib Dem, Bishopston) said the new UWE Stadium at Frenchay would be "tremendous" for Bristol Rovers and would ease parking problems in streets around the ground on match days.

He praised Sainsbury's for "putting forward a plan which tries to fit in as well as possible".

But he was concerned about the impact of the new store on independent traders in Gloucester Road.

He said: "My great concern, which is not necessarily an opposing one, is the effect on the quality and diversity which you currently find among traders on the Gloucester Road.

"It's a well-known and well-loved street because of its diversity – that's its great strength.

"Sainsbury's approach seems to be that this proposed new store would provide an anchor for the northern part of Gloucester Road.

"The council's retail experts will explore this issue in great depth."

He said the new store would not be as high as alternative schemes and therefore would not be too obtrusive.

He also welcomed the buffer of new homes behind existing houses in Strathmore Road and Downend Road to provide a residential buffer.

The council's deputy leader Simon Cook welcomed new investment in the city by both football clubs and the cricket club. "I think it's fantastic to see the new design for the University of the West of England site," he said.

But he stressed that the proposed Sainsbury's store would have to go through the council's proper planning process and councillors would have to make a decision about giving consent based on the plans which are put before them.

Resident Peter Tomlinson, a retired IT consultant who lives in Strathmore Road told the Evening Post that the area had seen a big influx of young families during the past 12 months because of the popularity of the nearby primary school.

He said he expected them to give their broad support to the proposed supermarket.

Meanwhile, more details have emerged about the store which would be built on stilts to take advantage of the sloping land.

This would allow the car parking for about 400-450 vehicles to extend underneath the building and escalators would be installed so shoppers could reach the shop floor.

The roof would be designed to make maximum use of natural light and many "green" features would be included to keep down energy costs and reduce the carbon footprint.

Sainsbury's is keen to hear from residents and interested groups about the prospect of providing community facilities on the site.

It will be launching a consultation exercise in the new year to gather people's views before revising the scheme and submitting a planning application to Bristol City Council.

Bristol Rovers want to build a new stadium in partnership with the University of the West of England on scrubland near UWE's Frenchay campus.

But a new supermarket at the Memorial Ground is crucial in providing some of the funding for the stadium.

Club chairman Nick Higgs said it was a historic milestone that all the contracts had now been signed between the club, Bristol UWE and Sainsbury's.

The only hurdle that now remains is winning planning consents for both the stadium and the store.