PLANS to build a new supermarket in Northallerton could be delayed amid fears it will have a seriously adverse effect on a conservation area.

Members of Hambleton District Council planning committee have already agreed outline permission for Tesco to build a 44,316 sq ft supermarket on the site of its existing store off East Road, Northallerton.

However, planning officers have recommended that they refuse the final detail of the plans when they are discussed at a planning meeting on Thursday.

Officers say the plans would "have a seriously adverse effect upon the setting of the Northallerton conservation area and the street scene in general.''

Other reasons for recommended refusal are that it would fail to reflect and respect the architectural and historic context of its surroundings. And it makes insufficient provision for public spaces and movement and fails to include traditional features such as boundary walls and street furniture.

No-one from Tesco was available for comment at the time the D&S Times went to print.

But Northallerton town mayor, Coun Jack Dobson, expressed concerns about delaying the project. "I would hate to see this development delayed for any length of time because it is going to have an effect on shopping in the town," he said.