A war of words broke out today as a major British company prepared to step in and take over the long-delayed Superdome project.

Chelverton Properties claimed a £120million scheme already planned for Odsal Stadium by a rival millionaire developer was unlikely to get through without being called in for a Government decision.

Chelverton said its own scheme would not hit that hurdle because it would be a smaller version of the original Superdome scheme for a shopping, leisure and a sports stadium which already has planning permission.

But the chairman of Bradford Bulls, Chris Caisley, who supports the rival scheme of Meadowhall developer Eddie Healey, said Chelverton's plan went from "the sublime to the ridiculous" and he did not believe it would ever go ahead.

Chelverton, developers of the Stadium of Light in Lisbon and the giant Bluewater out-of-town shopping centre in Dartford, admitted their Superdome scheme would be substantially smaller if they go ahead after a detailed feasibility survey, although it will stay within the parameters of the existing approval.

The company stepped in yesterday with the news that it intended to take over the original Superdome scheme from John Garside - who will no longer be in the equation - just three days before a crunch meeting by councillors to decide the future of the long-delayed scheme.

Millionaire Mr Healey is already in a deal with the Bulls, who occupy the stadium, to carry out his own development.

Bradford Council's corporate executive committee is expected to agree to limited marketing of the stadium when it meets on Friday.

Families living near the stadium called for urgent action on an old, polluted landfill tip on the site which would have been the subject of remedial work if Superdome had materialised.

Residents' spokesman David Warburton said immediate action should be taken on the tip because of residents' fears.

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