A bid to turn a pub into a Morrisons supermarket has been reluctantly approved.

The former Jack and Jenny pub, in Hatfield Road, Witham, is set to become a Morrisons M local store after proposals for doors and delivery ramps were approved by Braintree Council’s planning committee.

Under planning laws, Morrisons does not require approval for a change of use to open on the site.

The chain has also been granted permission at a licensing committee meeting to sell alcohol from 6am to midnight, seven days a week.

A report by planning officers warned Braintree Council might be liable for costs if it refused the application.

Planning committee members expressed sympathy for Witham Town Council and nearby residents who voiced their opposition to Morrisons’ plans.

Phil Barlow, district councillor for Witham North, said: “I will have to support this as I have no wish to write a cheque as a result of costs being awarded against us because we have refused this unreasonably.”