Rival supermarkets clash over developments in Bognor Regis

Morrisons is believed to be about to submit a formal planning application to extend the size of its Bedford Street store by a third - prompting Sainsbury's and Morrisons to go head-to-head for supremacy in the town.

The request for planning permission from Arun District Council will involve adding 10,333sq ft to the current 31,538sq ft branch to turn the Morrisons store - its only one for miles around - into a more typical outlet, with additional room to display a wider range of goods.

And the company warns the council it reserves the right to consider legal action to protect its interests if planning permission is granted for a Sainsbury's store on the A29 Shripney Road.

Morrisons says its proposals to add to its 170 employees and selling space should take precedence in line with the government's wishes to protect town centres.

But Sainsbury's regional development executive Max Whitehand said his company's 50m proposals for a 55,000sq ft branch on the site of the former Lec Refrigeration factory - which the council is considering - would not damage the town centre.

He said: "Many people are already travelling out of Bognor to undertake their main food shopping and a relatively-modest expansion of Morrisons is unlikely to reverse that trend.

"A new Sainsbury's at the former Lec site would provide more choice for local shoppers and is more likely to stem this leakage.

"We are committed to remediating and redeveloping the former Lec site if planning permission is granted, irrespective of Morrisons' expansion plans.

"We would fully expect them to continue trading if the new Sainsbury's is developed and to continue with their redevelopment plans if they are committed to them."

Lec site owner Sime Darby London's director, Raof Daud, said developing the land for retail purposes would help to regenerate Bognor as much as an expanded town-centre supermarket.

It would be up to the council to decide if Bognor could support both supermarkets. But he said only a retail firm could afford to make the former factory site reusable.

"Therefore, without the Sainsbury's proposal, it is likely that the Lec site will remain in its current derelict and brownfield condition for the foreseeable future," he stated.

Support for Sainsbury's has come from the Bognor Regis Ltd business organisation.

The group has stated the store proposals represent an important investment in a major gateway into Bognor.

The South East England Development Agency has also backed Sainsbury's in principle and welcomed the creation of some 400 jobs on a traditional employment location.

The clash between Morrisons and Sainsbury's recalls last winter's rivalry between Sainsbury's and Asda as the firms vie with each other to take on Tesco and supermarkets in Chichester and Littlehampton.

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