Sainsbury's Whitchurch plan needs to be approved by Government

Plans for a new Sainsbury's in Whitchurch still need to be approved by the Government before the scheme can go ahead, it was revealed today.

The retail giant won planning permission for the store on land off London Road at a meeting last week.

But now the plans need to be rubber-stamped by central government with a decision not expected until next month.

However, developer Terrace Hill Group, which is working with Sainsbury's to deliver the supermarket, said it had received an indication that the scheme would be given approval by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

In a statement, Terrace Hill said: "Terrace Hill Group has received a minded to grant recommendation with regard to its current planning application for a Sainsbury's supermarket in Whitchurch, Shropshire.

"The application was unanimously supported at a planning meeting on September 13, and will now be referred to the Department of Communities and Local Government, following which the local authority's recommendations should be approved within 21 days."

If ratified, construction of the new supermarket near Whitchurch town centre is expected to begin by the summer of 2012, with the store opening in 2013.

As a condition of the approval, the company must provide a financial contribution of almost £500,000 towards town centre improvements under a legal agreement with Shropshire Council.