PLANS for a new £700,000 inner-city supermarket and cash-and-carry warehouse in the Listerhills area of Bradford have been approved by council officers.

The scheme was submitted by AMC Foods, which is looking to expand from its current base on Summerville Road.

The new store will be based on a currently derelict site on Legrams Lane, formerly used as a vehicle repair garage, and the project is expected to create around 20 new jobs.

In a retail impact assessment supporting the scheme, the developer, Faum Design, said the firm's business plan was geared towards merging its retail and cash-and-carry operations.

"It is stalling and losing business because of its physical lack of capacity," said the report.

"It has outgrown its existing premises at St Andrews Works, Summerville Road, and the owners have sought premises elsewhere without success.

"They have concluded that in dealing with foods the best way forward is to occupy a purpose-built warehouse."

Construction costs for the project are anticipated to be between £600,000 and £700,000, and the number of staff employed by the company, which currently stands at nine, is set to increase to between 25 and 30.

The new store has been granted permission to trade between the hours of 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 6pm on Sundays.

Developers said while the retail outlet would involve a wide variety of foodstuffs, it would be geared towards the Asian market.

"It is considered that first and foremost the food store will provide a sought after service to mainly Asian customers in an area under-provided for by food stores," the supporting statement read.

"It is a discount store offering value and increased choice in a predominantly low-income area.

"It will offer a visual improvement of the area with the removal of existing industrial units and garages, which are old and unsightly.

"We trust that the proposal will be deemed as exciting and stimulating for the local and wider community."

In a report granting planning permission for the scheme, Mark Hutchinson, planning officer for Bradford Council wrote: "The proposal would support employment generation without having a detrimental impact on retail centres, be beneficial to visual amenity, and would have no adverse effect on neighbours, highway safety, or any other planning-related matters."

Councillor Nazam Azam (Lab, City) had previously stated his support for the application and urged council officers to approve the project.

On hearing planning permission had been granted, he said: "It will enhance the wider area, as the site had been derelict for some time.

"It is another element in the regeneration of the city, and they are excellent plans that will benefit the area massively.

"Numerous jobs will also be created and the project is definitely a positive thing."