A STORE group has sold a town centre site it no longer plans to develop after a nationwide expansion re-think.

Tesco was granted permission to build an 86,500-square foot store, with a 400-strong workforce, in Clifford Road, Stanley, in 2011.

Plans were later scaled back, to a 61,000-sq ft development, creating 250 jobs, in January 2014.

But, by January 2015, Tesco announced the proposed new store was among 49 scrapped from future development plans after a downturn in company profits.

A store spokesman has now confirmed: “Since then we have been in discussions with interested parties, which have come to a head.”

He confirmed agreement has been reached with national discount retailer Home Bargains to purchase the full Stanley site.

“We agreed the sale late last year and we’re now in a position to disclose it.

“We did say we hoped to sell it to develop for the people of Stanley and it took us longer than we had hoped.”

JT Morris, which owns Home Bargains, is expected to confirm plans for the site in the near future.