PLANS to develop Darlington's Safeway supermarket into a megastore were withdrawn at the last minute ahead of a meeting expected to discard the scheme.

The dramatic turn of events was explained to Darlington Borough Council's planning applications committee last week, which had been preparing to debate the proposals.

The scheme would have seen the Victoria Road supermarket extended by 2,700 sq m, 300 jobs created and a new line of products, inc*uding freshly-cooked foods, electrical goods and a beauty area added.

Planning officers had recommended the plans be refused but councillors were told that consultants working on behalf of Safeway had faxed notice of the withdrawal to the council last Tuesday.

The notice said that reasons for the move would be passed on to the authority in the near future.

Five objections had been received to the application, including opposition from Boots, Somerfield and the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

The borough council argued the plans should be refused because it would be detrimental to the town centre's growth, despite its position only yards away from the inner ring road which defines that area.

Planner Adrian Miller, in his report to the meeting, suggested Safeway had failed to demonstrate it could sell its proposed new lines from its existing two stores in the town, the other being in the Queen Street arcade.

In concluding that the expansion plan should be refused, the report stated that any development of Safeway would be detrimental to the council's plan to develop the town centre.