Work finally gets under way on new Tesco development that will bring hundreds of jobs to Wisbech

Tesco new site and store in Cromwell Road Wisbech (Image: Archant)

An intensive eight month building programme has been agreed after company bosses finally gave the green light to the scheme that will later include a new retail park.

Some of the stores that mightl be on the Tesco new site and store in Wisbech (Image: Archant)

Bowmer and Kirkland Ltd – who built the new national football centre in the Midlands and are also building the latest Centre Parc- has won the contract.

Group PR manager Sarah Millington confirmed that “we are constructing a new 60,000 sq ft store, a six-screen cinema and various retail units.

“There will also be a petrol filling station and highway improvement works.”

She added: “The contract is due to be completed in February 2014.”

Simon Petar, of Tesco’s corporate and legal affairs team, said: “We are looking forward to opening the new store in early 2014.

“Construction began recently and we are really excited to be serving customers in our new modern store.”

There are two separate sites for re-development: the former stadium in Cromwell Road will house a Tesco Extra together with multiplex cinema.

Once work is complete Tesco will demolish its existing store and replace it with a new retail park.

The two developments will create over 500 jobs, with the Tesco store alone expected to provide half of them.

Fenland Council’s planning team confirmed that in April, Tesco successfully applied for a “non material” amendment to enable the scheme to begin.

A council spokesman told readers of community website Shape Your Place: “This would appear to be a clear indication of a continued commitment to delivering the store on the stadium site.”