Lampeter RFC share the pitch with the town's football team

A developer wants to build on the memorial fields used by local sporting clubs, but many in the town say they do not need another large store.

More than 200 people were at the meeting and voted against the plans.

A 2,500-name petition was also handed in. The plan will be discussed by the town council later this month.

Phillip Ellis, of Ceredigion Council's economic development department, told the meeting the local authority had been approached by a developer interested in the memorial fields site.

After approaching the town's football and rugby clubs the council had been "encouraged" to take the matter further, he said.

We need to be competitive and keep up with change Alan Lewis, Ceredigion Council

He said all towns are in competition with one another and suggested that Carmarthen was attracting shoppers from Lampeter and that another supermarket would help stem the flow.

Any decision would be subject to an independent retail impact assessment as well as traffic and environmental studies.

Alan Lewis, from Ceredigion Council's economic development department, told the meeting; "We are facing change irrespective of what happens tonight.

"We need to be competitive and keep up with change."

The meeting was also told there was no legal reason preventing disposal of the land earmarked for development.

'No legal steps'

Richard Marks, the council's legal representative, said although the old borough council had declared that the site be used as recreation land in memory of local people who died in World War II, no legal steps had been taken to ensure this.

Council leader Keith Evans said that some of the money from the sale of the land would be spent on developing new facilities for the football and rugby clubs.

But local businessman Ronnie Roberts argued that with a population of about 3,000, Lampeter did not need a third supermarket.

The town council will discuss the plans on 28 September.

Plaid Cymru AM Elin Jones welcome the meeting's rejection of the plan.

"The message of the meeting to the council cabinet was clear - do not sell the memorial fields to a supermarket and do not spend tens of thousands of pounds on a retail impact assessment," she said.