TESCO has submitted a further detailed planning application to Wyre Forest District Council that if approved would allow it to proceed with development of a new foodstore in Stourport.

The company has previously received two outline planning permissions from the council for two separate sets of plans for the former Carpets of Worth site.

This application will seek to gain final detailed approval for the first of those permissions.

The move follows the news at the end of July that a legal challenge to the scheme mounted by the Midcounties Co-Operative had been unsuccessful.

Midcounties claim a large new Tesco store could force the Co-op in the town to close and “devastate” the town centre.

In the meantime, Tesco is also continuing to progress works for the second of its schemes on the Severn Road site, which remains the subject of a separate and ongoing legal challenge by Midcounties.

The reserved matters details for the second permission are already before the council.

Tony Fletcher, Tesco corporate affairs manager, said: “Local people will know that we have been trying to bring a new foodstore to Stourport for a number of years.

“Despite being granted outline planning permission on two occasions, our plans have been repeatedly delayed by legal challenges from a competitor who already trades in the town.

“It is frustrating for everyone to have to defend repeated legal challenges on every minor matter of detail.

“Now that the first of those legal challenges has failed we are moving forward to obtain detailed approval for our original scheme.

“We wish to have the option of proceeding with either scheme, and so we need detailed approval for both.

“If we are eventually successful with both we would proceed with the store design which is deemed most suitable at the time.”

Andy Cresswell, group general manager for The Midcounties Co-operative's food retail group, said: “It remains our view that the proposed Tesco development will be damaging to Stourport.

“It will affect a number of local traders and put the viability of the town centre at risk.”

Tesco says the new store would create more than 200 new full and part-time jobs for Stourport.