Lydney is to get a new travel shop with the Co-Op deciding to salvage and relocate its existing business in the wake of the supermarket's closure at Newerne Street.

Last May the store site went up for sale at a price of £1.5m, the move being a culmination of years of uncertainty for the Co-Op in Lydney. 

Although now closed, the food retailer continues to have a presence for shoppers in the town through its store and fuel station on Highfield Road.

Paving the way for the travel shop's new setting, Forest of Dean planners have backed a bid for three illuminated aluminium fascia signs, one internally illuminated small projecting sign and printed vinyl window graphics for the new address, which is positioned within the southern cap park of the Tesco store on Lydney's High Street.

A spokeswoman for the town's existing travel shop, which shared space with the recently closed store and has continued to trade while parent company MidCounties Coop oversees the move, said business was brisk.

She said: "Emerging out of the Pandemic and the effects of Brexit, people seem to prefer coming to sit down and talk to experts and because we are not tied to any holiday firms, we can find all sorts of deals and options. We are busy booking everything from cruises to UK holidays."

The new site for the business is within the Timpson building, close to the town's Tesco store.

Squeezed by budget competition from Lidl and Aldi, Midcounties Co-operative identified a small number of stores last year which, said the company, "in their current format do not fit with the long-term strategy of the Society". 

The ruling included the Lydney store.

● In May, Euronews reported that travel agents are "rising like phoenixes from the flames", with brands such as Trailfinders and TUI returning to high streets to meet demand for face-to-face advice.