Tesco has announced that legal agreements paving the way for construction to start on its new store in Swaffham have been signed.

Breckland councillors approved planning permission for the store on Castle Acre Road in July 2012 by eight votes to three.

Since then the retail giant and district council have been locked in negotiations, leading to planning consent now being formally issued.

The milestone marks the opening of a three-month window for the decision to grant planning permission to be challenged in the High Court.

The Co-op, which has a store in the town centre, originally said it would seek judicial review of any decision to approve the application, but in January announced it would no longer pursue this option.

Construction on the store is due to start later this year, with the store scheduled to open in 2014.

The planning application divided the town, with some people welcoming the 150 new jobs Tesco said it would create, while others were worried about the potential impact on town centre shops.