WIRRAL planning authority is poised to give the go-ahead for a multi-million pound complex for the peninsula's main shopping precinct, centred on a massive food-store.

Shops and offices in Catherine Street and Grange Road would be demolished to make way for the 75,000 sq ft store, complete with underground parking.

To accommodate the devel-opment, changes will be made to Claughton Road, Exmouth Street and Oliver Street and existing car parks will be remodelled.

Cheshire-based Castlewood Developments Ltd, who have been granted 'preferred developer' status for the site, are understood to have been involved in talks with retail giant Tesco.

Curry Group Ltd, whose Grange Road store faces closure in the scheme, complained that the application contained no evidence to explain the justification behind the design and siting of a venture which necessitated the loss of successful businesses. Further objections were made regarding the proposed road layout and traffic control measures.

Jim Wilkie, Wirral Council's director of planning and economic development, said the scheme would serve to support the western half of Grange Road and make it more attractive to major developers.

He said it was hoped that a superstore on the site would bring long-term benefits to the town centre by broadening the town's retail outlet and addressing the quality deficiency in convenience retailing which had existed since the closure of the Asda store in the mid 1990s.

Mr Wilkie said it was expected that businesses displaced by the project would be relocated within the town centre and would continue to trade.

Consultants Roger Tym and Partners indicated in a special report that the position of Birkenhead in the wider retail hierarchy had declined over time compared with competing centres such as Liverpool, Chester and Warrington.

While the other centres were gradually improving with major retail development schemes due to come on stream in Liverpool and Chester in the next few years, Birkenhead had seen little recent investment.

RTP expressed the view that the Oliver Street car parks represented the most important town centre development site in Wirral. The estimated turnover of the new store would be around £39.1m of which about £34.6m would be spent on convenience goods and £4.52m on comparison goods. Castlewood anticipate that about £31.1m of the turnover would be drawn from households within Wirral.

Impact on other stores and centres is predicted to be less than 3% of turnovers.

Castlewood's application has been recommended for approval subject to confirmation from the Government Office for the North West.

Wirral planning committee meet at Wallasey town hall tomorrow, Thursday, to study Mr Wilkie's report.