PLANS for a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Portishead could be given the go-ahead by North Somerset Councillors tomorrow (Thurs).

PLANS for a Sainsbury’s supermarket in Portishead could be given the go-ahead by North Somerset Councillors on Thursday.

Planning officers at the unitary authority have recommended that the proposals for a store in Serbert Way be approved.

A decision on the proposals was originally expected in May when they were first put to the council’s North Area Planning Committee.

However, lawyers for the Co-Operative Group, which owns a supermarket in nearby Wyndham Way, launched a legal challenge saying that North Somerset Council had not properly analysed the plans against planning policy and that the original report written for members of the committee was ill-founded.

As a result, independent planning consultants were brought in to look at the plans and consider the claims made by the Co-Ooperative Group as well as objections made by Waitrose and Budgens, which also own stores in Portishead.

In a report written for Thursday’s committee meeting, which has taken into account the findings from the planning consultants, the Sainsbury’s plans have been recommended for approval.

It is believed that the applicant has endeavoured to find a site close to the town centre and that the new supermarket would make a positive contribution to employment generation.

It is also considered that the new supermarket would not have a significant adverse impact on the vitality town centre, an issue raised by all three objectors.