Councillors have raised concerns over plans to close a Morrisons supermarket in Romsey.

On Monday Morrisons announced it was closing 17 convenience stores along with a series of other closures. Romsey's Cornmarket shop is among those listed.

The news comes only months after an embarrassing planning debacle which saw councillors call the company out for its failure to install bollards following a series of ram raids.

Cllr Nick Adams-King said: "The loss of any business in the town centre is always a concern.  Let’s hope a new tenant for the unit can be found soon, not least one who will take seriously the importance of their location in the town centre and, if appropriate, the need to protect their premises from damage from vehicles, be the causes deliberate or accidental."

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The aftermath of one of the ram raids to hit the shop, in July 2024 (Image: Toby Oliver) Cllr John Parker said: "At the moment, it is not clear what Morrisons’ plans are for the shop in the Cornmarket other than its reported closure.

"We do not know if they will be looking for another company to take it over as a going concern or whether it will become any empty premises."

He continued: "They have announced a plan to reduce the shop and café footprint nationwide and concentrate on the core business. So, the closure of our Morrisons Daily should not be seen as a reflection on our town’s vitality.

"Let’s hope that a new business can take over the premises in the near future and keep this prime site in Romsey as an active retail unit."

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Cllr Nik Daas, who was the one to raise the alarm over the company's failure to install added protections, said: "[It's] sad to hear Morrisons is proposing to close this store that provides well-priced goods for locals. It's also a shame as the protection bollards outside its shop front were very close to being installed, after significant work by Romsey Town Council. 

"Looking forward, I will certainly be doing all I can to ensure [that] whoever takes over the premise has a stable environment in order to trade for prolonged period."

Morrisons was approached for comment but has declined to comment at this time.