The company wants to create further retail space at its Jubilee Way South supermarket by building an extension — which would see the total floor space expand to 100,000sqft.

Tesco bosses will hold a public consultation into the plans on 27th November but the move has already sparked outrage with Mansfield district councillor Nick Bennett.

He told Chad: "It just seems wrong — when is it going to stop? Supermarkets are strangling the life out of the town centre. Ok, they bring new jobs but what about all the jobs that are being lost around the town?

"It is only 2006 since they built it so why do they need to extend it yet again? If this gets passed, it is going to be a disaster for Mansfield."

But a Tesco spokesman told Chad the proposed store extension would create 150 new jobs and was being planned in response to what customers wanted.

He said: "It has been very successful since it opened and it does get very congested. Some of the feedback from customers is they would like to see more space.

"We see it as a very positive move in terms of reacting to what customers have asked for."

The spokesman said the company wanted to extend the store so it encompassed three empty units next to it and build a mezzanine level.

He said a planning application would be submitted within a month of the public consultation if there was a good response to it and the move would allow the store to stock a wider range of goods.

Mansfield MP Alan Meale told Chad that while he thought the Chesterfield Road South Tesco was damaging the town centre, he thought the planned extension was 'common sense' because it would use the empty units.

He said: "That site has come back as a new focus for shopping. I don't think the extra space at Oak Tree Lane is going to be problematic because there's job creation. Everything is squeezed into the store really badly and it is packed out."

The news come just a week after Sainsbury's were given planning permission to extend its Nottingham Road store by an extra 3,104sqm.

The consultation event takes place in the store on 27th November and a display about the plans will remain there for a week.