SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has revealed plans to extend its Ely store allowing for more shopping space. The 7,000-square-metre building at Angel Drove could grow by 525 square metres by extending to the right-hand-side of the building where the staff canteen

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco has revealed plans to extend its Ely store allowing for more shopping space.

The 7,000-square-metre building at Angel Drove could grow by 525 square metres by extending to the right-hand-side of the building where the staff canteen is situated and across the car park.

The ambitious project would involve moving the double front doors of the main entrance to the right and relocating mother and toddler parking spaces and result in the loss of 15 parking spaces.

Tesco has submitted a planning application to East Cambridgeshire District Council and hopes to start building in the summer.

It expects the work to take just under three months with a possible opening date for the new floor area in the autumn.

Michael Kissman, Tesco's corporate affairs manager, said: "Before we extend any store we look at how we run the store, what we are selling and we talk to our customers and this is based on the feedback.

"A larger store would be roomier, there would be better availability of products, better storage and we could guarantee that basic items that customers want would be on the shelves. Hopefully this will improve the service."

Michael Leeder from architects and surveyors, CHQ Partnership in Baldock, Hertfordshire working on the project for Tesco, said: "The plan involves relocating 21 parent and child parking spaces but there would be a loss of 15 spaces.

"We are hoping to get planning by early June and the work is expected to take 78 days to complete.