CONTROVERSIAL plans to open a multi-million pound Sainsbury's Community Store in Otley have been bogged down because of highways problems, the developers admitted this week.

Discussions between representatives of Sainsbury's and planning

officers at Leeds City Council have been ongoing since the application for the store, to be based on Bondgate, was submitted in September last year.

But a spokeswoman for Sainsbury's said that although the application was closer to being considered by councillors on the planning committee than it was four months ago, it was taking longer than expected to come to committee stage.

Sainsbury's had hoped that the application would have been up for consideration at a planning meeting earlier this month, but now they have admitted that the application may not even be ready in time for next month's meeting.

Jane Blower, spokeswoman for Sainsbury's, said: "Negotiations with highways and planning officers at Leeds City Council are ongoing. Officers have raised a number of

planning issues and concerns, which we will give in-depth answers to. Those answers will be put to officers this week."

A spokesman for Leeds Planning Department confirmed that negotiations are ongoing.

The developers had previously said that the plans were likely to change substantially following discussions with planning officers at Leeds and ahead of permission being granted.

Sainsbury's are also trying to allay the fears that the proposed development has brought to some people. Some residents and traders fear that the development will destroy trade in Otley town centre.

They are inviting Otley people who still have concerns about the

development to contact Jane Blower on 0161 8322139 for a chat.

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