PLANS have been un-veiled to open a new supermarket in Colne creating 350 full and part-time jobs.

Sainsbury's are hoping to open a 45,000sq ft store with parking for over 400 cars on the former Coach Antiques site in Windsor Street, next to North Valley Retail Park.

But traders are worried that the new store will take business away from town centre shops.

It will also include a fresh fish counter, bakery and deli-catessen as well as music, DVDs, newspapers, greetings cards and so on.

Store developers, who are submitting their application to Pendle Council next week, believe that the store will help encourage shoppers back into the town.

Sainsbury's executive Joanne Try said: "Many local people currently travel away from Colne to do their main food shop.

"Sainsbury's wants to help address this by encouraging people to remain in the town to do their shopping through the provision of excellent quality and diverse products.

"Sainsbury's believes this will provide a significant boost to Colne's economy".

But Grahame Wharton, chairman of Colne Town Centre Forum and owner of Graham's Poultry, Market Street,said: "The only advantage is that it would create more jobs.

"The forum is not in favour of the proposition at all.

"Instead of attracting people into the town in is most likely to take away trade.

"The shop would be situated at the bottom of the hill away fom the town centre, all it will means is that people drive to the store, get all their products there and not venture into the town. "If the store was proposed to be in the centre of the town at the old Kwik Save site it might be more beneficial.

"The other thing that needs to be considered is the amount of traffic that a new supermarket may cause.

"North Valley is always congested and this could make it worse."

Sainsbury's is holding an exhibition in Colne indoor market, Market Street, to get feedback on the proposals and give people with the opportunity to view the plans and talk to the development team.

These will be on Saturday December 15, between 11am and 4pm and Monday December 17 between 10am and 5pm at the Market Hall.

It is anticipated that the plans will be determined by the Council's Planning Committee within the next six months and subject to planning permission, Sainsbury's hopes to start construction of the scheme in late 2008.