THE struggling business community in Barnard Castle is looking to the future with renewed hope after it emerged that a £15m superstore will be built following two years of negotiations.

Traders are hoping for a resurgence in visitor numbers once Safeway has built the new store in the town centre.

The company aims to have the 15,000sq ft store completed by 2003.

There is already a Safeway supermarket in the town centre, but many traders feel it is poorly stocked and not big enough, forcing shoppers to go to bigger stores in Catterick, Darlington and Bishop Auckland.

Businesses in the town have endured a difficult few years in the wake of the fuel crisis and the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

Visitor numbers have dropped dramatically since the epidemic began in February, with much of Teesdale closed to the hundreds of ramblers that normally visit the area each summer.

But the news that a deal has finally been struck between Teesdale District Council and Safeway over the price of a strip of land needed for the new store has been welcomed by the business community.

Speaking on behalf of Teesdale Marketing, which represents businesses in the area, restaurateur Bill Oldfield said: "The whole thing has been on and off, and it hasn't been a good way of promoting Barnard Castle. I'm glad now that the superstore is going to be built, and at least traders know what to expect and can hopefully look forward to a brighter future.

"In terms of business it must be good for the town, because a decent sized store, not the small one Safeway has at the moment, will draw people to the town to do their bulk shopping and hopefully spend their money in shops, cafes and restaurants in the town.

"The next step now is to look at ways of improving the car park, because the existing one is poor, and people are still expected to pay."

Safeway has agreed to provide additional parking spaces next to the new store, as well as resurfacing the town's central car park as part of the deal