PLANS for a multi-million pound supermarket in a north Durham town, which would create dozens of new jobs, look likely to be approved by councillors.

Planners at Chester-le-Street District Council have been looking for retailers to build a large supermarket at the South Burns area of the town for four years.

The proposal for a Tesco foodstore is part of the council's regeneration plan for the town that has previously led to a £118,000 facelift of the town centre.

Planners at Chester-le-Street council have recommended that councillors indicate they are "minded to approve the application" at a meeting on Monday, January 8.

If they make the commitment, the plan will then be referred to the Government Office for the North-East.

As well as building the supermarket, the applicants would also build a 303-space car park and a roundabout on Pelton Fell Road. The consortium would also contribute £10,000 towards building a pedestrian link to Front Street.

The authority has received four letters from members of the public objecting to the fact that a Scout hut and public toilets would have to be demolished, and expressing concern that about a possible increase in noise caused by loading.

Three letters of objection were also received from Somerfield Stores, the Co-op, and Lidl, arguing that the new supermarket would have a detrimental effect on other stores in the town.

Meanwhile, the Chester-le-Street 2nd Scout Group has launched a campaign to raise £10,000 to relocate.

The council's planning services manager Tom Watson said that the public toilets would be relocated elsewhere in the town, at the applicant's expense.

He recommended that councillors give their approval.

Mr Watson said: "The proposal accords with national, strategic and local retail policies supporting the regeneration of Chester-le-Street town centre and is, therefore, worthy of support."

Other plans to improve the town centre include refurbishing the town's market place, which would be close to the proposed supermarket.

Chester-le-Street council has been looking for a retailer to develop the South Burns site since a report by the Civic Trust Regeneration Unit recommended the idea in a report in 1996