IT has been a long wait, but shoppers in Wallingford could soon be about to welcome a second supermarket to the town, bringing 40 new jobs.

Hopes were high there would be a rival to Waitrose in St Martin’s Street when Morrisons was given planning permission in 2013 to build a new store on the Hithercroft industrial estate.

But councillors agreed a planning condition determining the store should be built to a high design standard and the chain did not go ahead with the proposal.

Now German budget food giant Lidl is lining up a new store in the same location and residents are being invited to look at the plans at The George Hotel, in High Street, on Wednesday at 3pm.

Staff from Lidl's property team will be available to outline the plans for the multi-million pound new store and answer any questions.

Lidl UK’s regional head of property Jeremy Lee said: "We are extremely excited about the prospect of opening a Lidl in Wallingford and serving our fresh, quality and incredibly good value produce which shoppers across the country have come to love.

"We look forward to welcoming anyone along to the public consultation day and showcasing our plans while answering any questions."

Lidl plans to build a 2,125sqm store with a 1,325sqm sales area, featuring an in-store bakery, customer toilets and parking for cars and bicycles.

Wallingford county councillor Lynda Atkins said: "This sounds like fantastic news for the town.

"Lots of shoppers have told me they would like to have a second supermarket.

"The arrival of a value supermarket like Lidl would provide competition for Waitrose and would mean a lot of people would no longer choose to drive to Tesco in Didcot.

"The store will need planning permission and I would urge as many people as possible to go along to the information day to express their support, or otherwise."

A new Lidl in Wallingford would add to the chain's 670 stores in the UK.

The chain has yet to submit a formal planning application, but said it could do so by the end of this month.

In 2013 Morrisons was given planning permission to build a 30,000 sq ft store and the proposal would have created 300 jobs.

The application was approved by district councillors but they agreed to back a condition insisting on an 'excellent' Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method rating.

Morrisons argued against the condition and lodged an appeal but later withdrew it and eventually abandoned their plan for the store.