An artist's impression of how the store would look

Multi-million pound proposals to build a new Asda superstore, petrol station and 500-space car park in Telford have been given the go ahead.

Planners last night granted the supermarket giant permission for a 44,000 sq ft store on the site of Telford & Wrekin Council’s civic offices.

As the application is outside of the council’s agreed development plan it will now go to the Secretary of State for review, but it is not expected to have any impact on last night’s decision.

Members of Telford & Wrekin Council’s Plans Board were split over making the decision, with half the committee abstaining on the grounds they were not given enough time to digest all of the submissions made.

However the four votes in favour were enough to secure the new store, which will take its 350 staff from Asda in the town centre.

Objections came from town centre owners Hark Apollo which wanted Asda to stay in the town centre. Its bosses have submitted plans of their own to build a £30 million “iconic” timber-clad building on the Red Oak car park to house a supermarket and other retail units.

But Councillor Joy Francis rejected Hark’s objection that the Civic Offices site was out of town and would detract from the existing shops.

She said: “They think it will take customers away from the shops in the centre but every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday thousands of people park their cars over here, when we are not here, and go across the road to go into the town centre, so I don’t see that as a valid objection.

“As for the old Asda building, if they could attract someone like John Lewis that would be fantastic.”

Councillors also gave outline planning consent to Asda to build 79 homes next to the store.