BRAINTREE town centre is “empty” because of the success of Freeport, a public meeting heard.

A Braintree worker told a public appeal over proposals to add a cinema, shops and restaurants to Tollgate shopping centre, near Colchester, that the impact of the designer village was a lesson to planners.

Colchester councillor Dominic Graham, who works in Braintree, gave a speech at the planning appeal last week.

He said: “You will see quite clearly the effects of a large, successful, popular out-of-town retail development, with a cinema.

“You will see the traffic chaos it causes — the A120 is notorious around these parts, especially near Freeport. But most of all, you will see the empty town centre.”

Mr Graham, a solicitor in the town, said after the meeting: “In order to get people to the town centre, it needs to offer something that people will take the journey for.

“Freeport and the town centre are so close to each other they are in competition and Freeport is in such a dominant position, it won’t change.”

However Liz Storey, from Braintree Town Team, said it was a case of making the most of what is in the town.

She said: “Freeport creates jobs and brings people to the district, and I know the council is investing money into developing the town.

“Some of the retailers will say the town is dead, but we have some fabulous shops here.”

Tom Cunningham, councillor responsible for economic development at Braintree Council, said: “Having a successful factory outlet, located just 1.4 miles from our town centre, gives our residents access to hundreds of jobs on their doorsteps and brings 2.7 million visitors to our district each year.

“It has a completely different offer than that of our town centre which can offer more in the way of niche retail and local produce — ultimately the town as a whole has a richer mix of shopping opportunities for residents and visitors.

“We know the habits of shoppers are constantly evolving and town centres now need to be more than just places to shop — they also need to be places to work, spend leisure time, socialise and access services.

"That’s why we are working hard, alongside our partners, to unlock our town centre’s future potential as a modern, vibrant and sustainable place and the planned regeneration of Manor Street, currently being designed by architects, represents the first step to complement future improvements.”