TESCO is coming to town! Bexleyheath’s landmark pagoda-style building is set to go to accommodate the supermarket giant and a housing development.

And Tesco hasn’t ruled out working with the council on the current Civic Centre site as part of the Bexley First programme.

The Woolwich building is owned by St James’s Investments who have been running workshops with Tesco to gauge opinion from the public. The store would sell food, clothes, home furnishings, electrical items, toys, CDs and DVDS.

Tesco corporate affairs manager James Wiggam said: “The attendance has been good. Some people have been supportive, some are concerned, but most people have said the store should sell more than food.

“A new retail store is needed to act as an anchor to attract shoppers back to the area.”

A Tesco supermarket would take Bexleyheath’s number to three, with the town already served by an Asda and Sainsbury’s – the latter of which is just yards down the road from the potential new store.

Christopher Borkowski, managing director of St James’s Investments, said: “We want to develop a high-quality and well-designed scheme that will rejuvenate the eastern end of Bexleyheath, make the best use of the Woolwich site and deliver improvements for local residents.

“The redevelopment will provide homes, jobs and an attractive new shopping for those living in and around Bexleyheath, as well as improved links with the rest of the town centre.”

The council recently rejected a bid from Tesco for exclusive use of the Civic Office site for a superstore.

The site is being developed as part of the council’s Bexley First programme, under which the local authority is trying to centralise its resources and is inviting proposals from businesses.

A spokesman for the council declined to comment on the latest Tesco plan, but Mr Wiggam said the supermarket company would continue to talk to the council about the site.

He added: “We think it can work in tandem with those plans.”