A POPULAR car dealership could be demolished to make way for a "much-needed" supermarket under new plans.
The proposal by Sainsbury's, submitted to a local council, would see several buildings flattened for a brand-new local store in west Sussex.
The 407 square-metre shop would take the place of Clarion Cars, a beloved SsangYong dealership in Worthing.
It would also feature a car park at the front and bike facilities.
The planning documents, submitted to Adur and Worthing Councils, claim the store is a necessary addition to the area.
They state: "Such stores are commonplace across the country and serve mainly to provide top-up shopping, reducing the need for customers to travel further to purchase essential everyday items.
"The store will provide a much-needed convenience shopping destination within the Tarring area."
The proposal then explains that it would fall under the Sainsbury's "Neighbourhood Hub" format - a "food-led extension of Sainsbury’s renowned convenience offer."
However, the company admitted it would not be big enough to cater for customers' weekly shop.
The documents add: "They are designed to provide the best possible offer for the communities they serve, with a product range that gives customers access to everything they need for ‘top-up’ items locally.
"The store will not be large enough to cater for the main food shopping needs of most customers and neither will it attract customers from beyond a localised catchment area due to the limited ranges a store of this size can accommodate.
"However, it will provide choice and competition for top-up, convenience shopping in Tarring."
If plans went through, there would be eight parking spaces available for customers.
It comes after another beloved garage, the family-run Stevens Motors in Wanstead, London, was also forced to close after 48 years.
Its manager, Brad Stevens, had worked there since was just 19.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Mercedes-Benz had been forced to close and sell all of its UK dealerships after suffering "heavy losses".
The company's annual accounts, filed via Companied House, revealed it had "disposed of its remaining leasehold premises" after years of struggling financially.
And, three major Volkswagen dealerships also closed at the end of last month after "drastic cutbacks" by the American firm Group 1 Automotive.
The US giant had acquired the trio in a £346 million deal in February - effectively doubling its own footprint on this side of the Atlantic.
But the dream didn't last long, as the company found itself "knee deep" in economic challenges.
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