Plans for a major new supermarket in Leicester look set to be approved.
Fairgate Investments Ltd wants to build the �15 million store on the Narborough Road Retail Park, off Braunstone Gate, Leicester, in a move that could create up to 150 jobs.
The company, which owns the site, has applied for permission to redevelop it and says it has had talks with Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.
Fairway says the project will help regenerate the site, but existing shops nearby fear having one of the supermarket giants on their doorstep could harm their trade.
On Tuesday members of Leicester City Council's planning and development control committee are to decide whether to permit the scheme. Council planning officers say it should be approved.
A city council spokesman said: "The proposed development should increase the range, choice and attractiveness of the Narborough Road district centre and encourage people to make linked trips visiting both the food store and the other businesses in Braunstone Gate.
"It has the potential to act as an anchor store and attract people who currently shop out of the city, for example in the Fosse Park area.
"This could claw back trade that is currently lost to elsewhere."
Abdul Hannan, who has run Braunie News, in Braunstone Gate, for the past five years, said he thought the competition could destroy his business.
He said: "It could wipe me out and I am very worried.
"I don't see why we need another supermarket in this area. We have a Sainsbury just round the corner (in Bede Park) and a new Tesco Express right opposite that. There's an Asda down the road at Fosse Park and a Morrisons not far away.
"The councillors should refuse this to help protect smaller business who will get eaten up by a big supermarket."
Other traders have written to the council expressing their concerns.
However, Anil Sethi, of News and Food, in Braunstone Gate, said he thought the supermarket would be a good thing for the area.
Mr Sethi, who has run the shop since 1993, said: "I am not afraid of the competition. I actually think it will be a good thing and bring new trade in for us all.
"I am worried about the parking situation. Customers park on the car park there but the plan is to shut the entrance to Braunstone Gate and put up a big wall. That will make it hard for people to get to us from the supermarket.
"I am also worried that the car park will become for supermarket customers only, because our customers need somewhere to park."
The retail park is currently occupied by Carpetright, which will relocate if the development goes ahead. It also has an empty MFI store and a disused Allied Carpets warehouse which have been shut for more than a year.
Bartley McGovern, Fairgate's project manager, said he could not reveal who would be running the supermarket at this stage. He said the architecture of the new supermarket would be of high quality.
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