Bradford Bulls boss Chris Caisley wants Council chiefs to give him the score over plans for shopping at Odsal Stadium.

He will ask Bradford Council leader Ian Greenwood to put his cards on the table over how retail will be allowed by planners.

Mr Caisley will seek urgent, early talks with Coun Greenwood as the Council prepares to find a new developer for the stadium.

Today Mr Caisley said the shopping space was the vital key to the future of the former Super League champions. He said the redevelopment of the sports ground would only be possible with enough income from a shopping scheme to support it.

Millionaire Eddie Healey wants to build a shopping and leisure development at Odsal and had hoped to carry out major improvements to the stadium. But he told the Telegraph & Argus recently that he did not believe the improvements would be possible with the limited amount of shopping space anticipated.

The Council has made it clear that it would want any developers to keep within the concept of planning consent given two years ago when the original Superdome was planned.

The scheme has 200,000 square feet for shopping and the same amount for leisure. It would be the equivalent of approximately two and a half superstores.

But it is understood Transport and Environment Secretary John Prescott is unlikely to agree to more retail for the site because he is clamping down on out-of-town shopping which is hitting traditional towns and city centres.

Mr Caisley said: "I want the Council to make it clear now what it would or wouldn't agree to in terms of shopping because it hasn't done previously. If the Council doesn't, it is going to make it very difficult to afford a new stadium."

Mr Caisley said the club would have to consider options, including a ground share.

Mr Healey's proposals could face rivalry from Chelverton Properties if both parties submitted them to the Council.

The company which has developed the huge Blue Water shopping complex in Dartford has taken over the work done by Superdome UK and says it is considering a scaled-down scheme.

Today the Council's director of regeneration, David Kennedy, would only say: "The Council is seeking interest from people interested in developing the site on the lines of the current planning consent."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.