‘Up to 200 new jobs’ at planned supermarket (From The Bolton News)

‘Up to 200 new jobs’ at planned supermarket

9:02pm Tuesday 24th July 2007 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

UP to 200 new jobs will be created in Westhoughton if plans to built a new Sainsburys store are given the go-ahead.

The supermarket giant has officially lodged details of the £7.5 million scheme with council chiefs.

It wants to build a 30,000-sq ft store on land off Cricketer's Way, at the site of Westhoughton Cricket Club.

The food giant had announced its interest in the site in February and last week presented blueprints to Bolton Council.

Sainsbury's bosses said yesterday that they expect the store to bring between 150 and 200 full and part-time jobs to the town if the scheme gets the go-ahead.

Detailed plans were drawn up following a consultation in March, which was attended by around 300 residents.

Two-thirds of those people submitted feedback to Sainsbury's, with 180 indicating their support for the store, which will sell mainly food with some non-food items.

The planned store aims to be environmentally friendly by producing some of its energy on site by installing wind turbines, having thermal insulation and by using recyclable materials in its construction.

The cricket club has planning permission to move to 13.3-acre playing fields at The Hoskers.

Sainsbury's development surveyor Paul Miller said: "We had a successful consultation exercise in the town and have taken the comments made on board where we could.

"We had hoped to submit a planning application in April but have been delayed because we have made some changes to reduce the overall mass of the store and address the concerns raised."

The store was originally designed as a two-storey structure over 25,000 square feet.

Under the new, formal proposals, it will be 5,000 square feet bigger but just one-storey high - a decision taken in response to concerns that it could block light to neighbouring homes.

The building will now be 8.6 metres high at the front - rather than the original 10.5 metres - and six-metres high at the rear.

Westhoughton South Cllr David Chadwick, who is a campaigner for SWAN (Save Westhoughton Act Now), says he is against the plans, despite the jobs announcement.

"While I am not against a new supermarket moving to the town, this is prime recreational, greenfield land and I am against the development of a store there."