THE future of a 24-hour superstore on a former steelworks site will be determined by councillors.

The Government Office North-East has decided that no public inquiry is needed to determine whether Tesco can build an out-of-town store at Consett.

It was referred after members of the now defunct Derwentside District Council agreed they were ‘minded to approve’ an application at odds with its local plan.

It will be determined by the central planning committee of Durham County Council, which determines major applications, rather than the north area committee.

A council spokesman said: "Having been cleared by Government Office North-East to determine this application it will now go to the central planning committee once the planning officer involved has completed the relevant reports.

"Currently, the most likely date for this application to go to committee is November 10."

Planning officers advised councillors to reject the plan because of potentially detrimental impact it would have on the town’s local economy.

Senior planning officer Mike Hempsall said: "It is now a question for planning officers to decide what we are going to report to committee and we are taking legal advice on that."

Last week the chain announced plans for another superstore eight miles away in Stanley creating 400 jobs.

The new store at Consett will create 250 jobs and safeguard 150 posts at the existing Delves lane store.

Tesco’s corporate affairs manager, Doug Wilson, said the proposals amount to around £35m worth of investment across the two sites.

He said: "Our ambition is to build both and we are certainly hopeful that local members will see the benefit of the stores.

"The idea is that they offer more choice to the people of the towns"