Work on Chipping Sodbury's first supermarket is well underway (From Gazette Series)

New Waitrose supermarket on Barnhill Quarry in Chipping Sodbury is on schedule

11:53am Friday 8th March 2013 in News By Alexandra Womack

WORK on Chipping Sodbury’s first supermarket remains on schedule for an opening date later this year.

Development of the Barnhill Quarry site, off Wickwar Road, is progressing rapidly to make way for a new Waitrose store and later a housing development of 160 new homes.

The site has visibly changed since the beginning of the year with rapid clearance work complete and the construction of a new access road now underway.

Spokesman for Waitrose, James Armstrong, said: “The developer's contractors are on schedule and progressing well.

“The site is now cleared and levelled and the new access road and roundabout entrance has been started.

“Work is also underway to convert the council car park to the new layout.”

Contractors Midas is trying to keep local people up-to-date with information about the development of the site.

In a newsletter, the firm said: “We have been laying the crushed stone from the bluff to use as a base to build the new Waitrose supermarket. The new link road off the Wickwar Road roundabout is taking shape.

“We are well underway to convert the council car park to the new layout.”

It added: “We would like to thank you all for your patience and understanding so far with the project.”

As well as the supermarket, a new pedestrian bridge is to be built over the River Frome linking the store with the High Street.

Access will be from a new Coffee #1 store and will include a covered market area with four new retail units.

A footpath, known as Brook Path, has been closed for up to six months while the footbridge is built. Midas said the closure was necessary to ensure public safety but hoped it would not have to remain shut for the whole six months.

The Waitrose store is scheduled to open in late 2013, in time for Christmas.

It has been widely welcomed by people in the town, including Sodbury Chamber of Commerce and Sodbury Town Council which sold its lease on the car park and agreed for a public toilet block to be demolished to make way for the supermarket and associated parking. But the scheme has not been without its objectors with independent traders fearing a loss of trade once the store has opened.