SAINSBURY'S chiefs have won the backing of Bolton Council in their controversial bid to build a £7.5 million store at the site of Westhoughton Cricket Club.

The council's planning committee voted 14-7 in favour of the 25,000 sq ft supermarket at the ground in Cricketers Way.

And councillors also approved plans for the cricket club to move to green land at The Hoskers in Daisy Hill.

The supermarket, to be partly powered by three 30ft high wind turbines, could create 220 jobs. The plans were opposed by Westhoughton Town Council and a total of 828 people who signed petitions.

There were complaints that the store, which would have 241 parking spaces, would overload nearby roads and hit trade at town centre shops.

Plans for the supermarket must now be approved by the Secretary of State for Communities, Hazel Blears, because of its size, and she could decide a public inquiry is necessary.

At yesterday's committee meeting, cricket club groundsman and former Mayor of Bolton, Peter Finch, and Westhoughton South councillor, David Chadwick, spoke against the store.

Cllr Chadwick, said: "Westhoughton needs a smaller sized food store which will provide fair competition to be located in the town centre."

But his ward colleague, Cllr David Wilkinson, said that he was in favour of the scheme and won the support of Liberal Democrat and Conservative members.

Cllr Wilkinson said: "Most people are shopping outside the town and we need to bring them back in."

Joanne Try, regional development executive for Sainsbury's, said she was "delighted" and that the store could open by summer 2010 if all goes to plan.