Milton Keynes Council has granted planning permission for what is thought to be Britain’s largest supermarket.

With a total area of 150,000 sq ft (13,935 sq m) the AsdaWal-Mart Supercentre store will surpass Tesco Warrington (130,000 sq ft) and Merton Savacentre (105,000 sq ft).

The Asda giant will help finance a new 30,000-seat stadium for the relocated Wimbledon football club, MK Dons, when its two-year temporary residency at the city’s National Hockey Stadium ends.

The development will also include a 160,000 sq ft (14,865 sq m) DIY store, a Media Village, a hotel, offices, and three restaurants.

Specialist planning consultancy Hepher Dixon acted as planning advisor to the applicants, a consortium called Inter MK - made up of the music entrepreneur Peter Winkelman, Asda Wal-Mart, English Partnerships, Milton Keynes Council, the Milton Keynes Parks Trust and Wimbledon FC.

Milton Keynes has been earmarked for a major expansion by the Government, eager to provide affordable homes in the Southeast. The city will double in size over the next 20 years, with 70,000 houses constructed, taking the population to close to 400,000.

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