Tesco has submitted its formal plans to build a new supermarket on the edge of Swaffham.

Documents included with the planning application claim 70pc of people who visited a public exhibition in January supported the plans.

More than half of the 454 people who completed feedback forms registered an interest in working at the Castle Acre Road store, which is expected to provide 50 full-time and 100 part-time jobs if approved.

Interest in the new store was high, with about 800 people attending the event at the Best Western Hotel on January 27-28, compared to 300-500 people who usually attend such exhibitions.

Respondents were split on the proposal's effect on the town, with 36pc saying they would be more likely to visit other town centre shops, and 33pc saying they would not.

The largest number of comments came from those who were worried a Tesco store would take business from the town centre, followed by those who were generally positive and those who said there was no need for a new supermarket.

Enthusiasm for the plans decreased with age, with 96pc of people under 18 in favour, falling to 57pc among those aged 66-75.

The store would be about as high as a two-storey house, 72.9m long and include 199 free parking spaces.

According to the access and design statement, 'the building has been designed in a contemporary format to reflect its intended use and build upon its connections on the edge of the modern Eco-Tech Park away from the historic

town centre'.

Comments on the planning application should be received by Breckland Council by April 4, with a decision due by June 14.