BACUP’S long-awaited Morrisons store will open on August 5.

The £7m development, in Lee Street, was first touted in 2006 but planning permission was only granted in July 2011.

The supermarket then faced another hurdle in the form of a protective covenant held by the nearby Co-operative shop, which prevented another retailer from using the land off Lee Street and Gas Street.

Rossendale Council chiefs were forced to step in and use their compulsory purchase powers to buy the land, remove the covenant and sell it on to Morrisons in March 2012. Building work due to start last May was delayed as the council waited to vacate a waste unit in nearby Henrietta Street.

Construction began in earnest in April this year.

The new 2,020 sq m store, which will be built on the former Horace’s nightclub site, is expected to create around 110 jobs.

Traders and community leaders have said they believe the store will help regenerate the town.