Autumn deadline for new store

Work on Kidderminster's new Morrisons superstore, which will employ 350 people, will be completed on September 5, it has emerged.

The new supermarket is being built at the historic Stourvale Mills site in Green Street and will be twice the size of the town's existing store in Oxford Street.

Stourvale Mills is a grade II listed building and was previously occupied by the Woodward Grosvenor carpet firm.

The development will include Kidderminster's first carpet museum to showcase the rich local heritage of the carpet industry and the town's economic history and ensure it is preserved for future generations. Work got underway at the end of last year. Currently work on the roof and the drainage of the building is being completed and it is expected to be finished by September 5. It will then open its doors a few days later.

The 80,000 sq ft store will have 26 checkouts and a car park with room for 400 cars. There will also be an a glazed cafe area, which will face the banks of the river giving customers the chance to enjoy views over the water.

Two new bridges will span the river, linking an area of the car park with the main car park and store and the development will include a clock tower.

The historic mill frontage of the building will be retained and particular attention will be paid to the architectural aspects of the site.

The Carpet Trust is currently in the middle of submitting a bid for lottery funding for the project.

Councillors in Wyre Forest have praised the plans for the regeneration scheme which will breathe new life into the historic.

Morrisons spokeswoman Amy Johnston said: "Both the new store and the proposed carpet museum will help to regenerate this part of Kidderminster."