A SUPERMARKET giant's controversial plans for a Westhoughton store go before councillors tomorrow.

Sainsbury's wants to build a 25,000sq ft store with parking for 240 cars on the site of Westhoughton Cricket Club, off Cricketer's Way.

Planning officers have been broadly supportive of the development, which they say "would revitalize and provide inward investment" for Westhoughton town centre.

They are also recommending councillors approve the cricket club's move to a purpose-built ground at The Hoskers as part of the plans.

However, Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears will have the final say on whether the supermarket development can go ahead. - checking this fact.

Objectors have registered concerns including increased traffic problems, loss of business for local shops, disturbance caused by lighting and over-saturation of supermarkets.

A total of 828 people have also signed petitions opposing the development, while the Town Council says there will be a net loss of recreational land and noise from three nine-metre wind turbines planned as part of the development.

Officers at Bolton Council's regeneration and economic development unit "raise concerns as to the potential impact of the new store on smaller traders within Westhoughton town centre but this is not of a sufficient scale to recommend refusal of the application", according to the planning report.

However, Sainsbury's claims the plans have the backing of the majority of residents.

The firm distributed a leaflet to households and businesses in and around the town to gauge their opinions and it says 86 per cent of the 2,700 respondents were in favour of the proposals.

Joanne Try, Regional Development Executive for Sainsbury's said: "The support indicated from our recent survey is tremendous and reinforces our confidence that we have chosen the right location for a brand new food store.

"We believe that these proposals provide an exciting opportunity to help recapture trade that is currently going to competing centres and facilities elsewhere."

The store says a retail survey showed 80 per cent of people in Westhoughton travelled to places such as Middlebrook, Atherton, Leigh, Hindley and Ince, to do their regular food shopping.

But Westhoughton South Cllr David Chadwick , who campaigns for the Save Westhoughton Act Now (SWAN) group which wants to limit development and protect recreational space in the area, questioned the validity of the survey.

"They leafleted in Atherton, Hindley and parts of Bolton so I would query whether it's a balanced assessment of what people in Westhoughton think," he said.