Shropshire Star

Sainsbury's commits to Market Drayton supermarket bid

Supermarket giant Sainsbury's says it remains committed to building a store on its preferred site in Market Drayton and has not been in talks with developers behind a rival scheme.

Published

The company said it still wants to build on the Vicon Works Industrial Estate off the A53, a move which would create about 200 jobs.

A rival application has been put forward by Danbank Developments Ltd, which wants to build a store on Greenfields Lane.

Sainsbury's has written to the Market Drayton Chamber of Commerce to say it has not entered any talks with Danbank.

Planning applications for both sites have been submitted to Shropshire Council and are to be discussed by the north planning committee.

Members of the chamber of commerce have welcomed Sainsbury's letter but refused to comment on the scheme put forward by Danbank Developments.

Mark Whittle, chairman of Market Drayton's Chamber of Commerce, said: "This is very good news for us.

"If Sainsbury's moved in then other businesses would move in and Market Drayton would be able to compete with other places in Shropshire as the place to come and shop.

"It would bring a large amount of employment, especially for the young and offer apprenticeships."

The letter written by Jo Hawley, Sainsbury's regional development surveyor, said: "We are very keen to progress our plans for the Vicon Works site, as we believe they represent the best opportunity to improve Market Drayton's shopping offer.

"There has been strong support from the local community since we announced our plans, with 74 per cent of those who responded to our public consultation giving their full or partial support."

Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article.