Supermarket giants Sainsbury's and Somerfield have clashed over Sainsbury's proposals to enlarge their Hampton Hill store.

Members of Richmond Council's planning sub-committee are due to discuss the expansion scheme tonight.

Sainsbury's want to increase the floor space of their Uxbridge Road superstore by more than 1,000 square metres and also extend the existing unloading bay area.

They are keen to provide more shelf space, widen the aisles, increase the number of checkouts and also open a coffee shop.

A Richmond Council planning officer said: "The applicant states that the existing store is out-dated and can no longer meet customer demands.

"They wish to retain existing market share and claw back some of the previous trade which may have switched to the newer, more attractive stand-alone stores."

But Somerfield spokesman Roger Tym has strongly objected to Sainsbury's scheme on behalf of the rival chain which has a store in Twickenham town centre.

In a letter to Richmond Council's planning department, he said that the Sainsbury proposal was contrary to central government policy on regenerating town centres instead of out-of-town shopping complexes.

Mr Tym also warned the revamped Sainsbury's would have a detrimental impact on traders in Teddington, Twickenham, Whitton and Hampton Nurserylands.

The Hampton Hill Association has expressed concerns about increased traffic congestion and the detrimental impact an in-store pharmacy will have on two existing pharmacies in Hampton Hill.

But a Richmond Council planning officer concluded in his report to councillors that "it would be difficult to sustain a refusal on the grounds of unacceptable impact on surrounding centres".

And he said Hampton Hill would not be affected because it does not have a supermarket and is therefore only what is termed a "top-up shopping centre".

If Sainsbury's get planning permission, they will give Richmond Council a £100,000 contribution including cash for public transport and cycle network improvement.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000.Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.