Carlisle council has approved a £40m Sainsburys superstore for the city

The 95,000ft2 Sainsburys store will be built at Caldewgate near the city’s castle and work is expected to start in the next couple of months.

Plans also include building a restaurant on a mezzanine floor above the supermarket as well as a petrol station and parking for 430 cars.

Carlisle council has also granted granted separate planning permission for an 80,000ft2 supermarket to be built off Wigton Road a mile or so away from the Sainsbury’s site.

That 12-acre plot is now for sale on the open market with Tesco currently favourites to buy the site.