DISCOUNT supermarket chain Lidl has unveiled plans to build a distribution centre in County Durham leading to the creation of 250 jobs.

The German retail group wants to build a storage and distribution centre for the North-East on land next to the Filtronic factory, on the edge of the Aycliffe Industrial Estate, Newton Aycliffe.

The Northern Echo understands that electronics firm Filtronic, which recently downgraded its own investment programme for the former Fujitsu site from £45m to £7m, sold the land to Lidl.

The supermarket chain has submitted its plans for the distribution centre, together with offices and more than 200 parking spaces, to Sedgefield Borough Council.

The proposed development is expected to bring about 250 full and part-time Lidl jobs and many more jobs during construction.

Yesterday, a Lidl spokesman said: "We have more than 450 Lidl stores in the UK and seven distribution sites - this will be our eighth. It all forms part of our expansion programme."

The site is on the opposite side of the railway line to 100 acres of land that have also been earmarked for the development of a centre. The joint owners of that land, Durham County Council and Sedgefield council, have reserved the site for almost a decade waiting for a largescale project that could not be accommodated elsewhere in the county.

The two councils, and regional development agency One NorthEast, which also has a stake in the site, marketed the land and The Northern Echo revealed in October that, after a meeting with prospective developers, a preferred buyer had been selected.

The unnamed developer is understood to have a major retailer lined up to move into the 1.5 millionsq ft centre - which will include a large warehouse and offices - and the development could create up to 1,000 jobs.

Yesterday, a council spokesman said: "We are still in negotiations. We expect a planning application for that site in the next couple of weeks."