STORE chain Morrison's has finally ruled out plans to build a supermarket on the controversial Willowbeck Road site in Northallerton.

Morrison's has re-applied for permission to build the two non-food retail warehouse units on the North End site.

A spokesman for the supermarket chain also denied speculation that it had submitted the plans as part of a bid to boost the value of the land - which has been the focus of speculation for years - before selling it.

"The plans have been submitted in order to allow us to build the warehouses on the site," the spokesman said.

Numerous bids to build a supermarket on the site, next to Low Gates level crossing and occupied temporarily by North Yorkshire Timber, have been rejected over the past eight years, due to fears over congestion and the impact on the town's traders.

Permission to build a Safeway store was granted in 1996, but later overturned by a High Court ruling following a two-year legal wrangle instigated by rivals Somerfield and Tesco.

The most recent application for the 3,700sq m warehouse development is identical to a plan which was submitted last year. At that time, members of Hambleton District Council development control committee rejected the plans due to fears about traffic congestion.

Morrison's has resubmitted the application along with a traffic assessment report, which has been sent to North Yorkshire County Council for consideration.

An application to build a Homebase DIY store on the adjoining site occupied by the FT Construction Group, which was rejected last year for the same traffic reasons, has also been resubmitted.

Maurice Cann, Hambleton's head of development control, said both applications were expected to be considered at a meeting of the planning development committee on February 10.