THE proposed Sainsbury's store in Worcester will enhance the St John's area and generate more than £20m extra revenue for nearby businesses, a public inquiry has heard.

Michael Woolner, representing the supermarket chain, told the last day of the four-day inquiry the proposed supermarket would "strengthen" businesses in St John's, increasing convenience trade from £13.6m a year to £35m.

He told Government inspector Emlyn Williams the proposed Swanpool Walk site was "highly appropriate" and would improve pedestrian links with other shops in St John's.

But Morag Ellis, representing Co-op Pioneer, which has a store in St John's, questioned the claims, saying Sainsbury's could in fact force other businesses to close.

She said the store would be used predominantly for one-stop shopping and would not encourage people to use other facilities available in the district centre.

"What about the poor old butcher in the centre?" she said.

"What can he do? The butchery at the proposed supermarket will get him, and his efforts to diversify by also selling good cheeses and good quality cooked meats won't work as shoppers will buy from the supermarket's delicatessen."

However Mr Woolner replied shops which made the effort to compete with the new store would benefit from the increased number of shoppers.

He claimed the company had found shops near their stores could benefit from the extra number of people created by their stores.

"As well as a potential impact there will also be benefit," he said.

"The turnover in St John's will increase. There will be more than 700,000 more shopping trips into the area and I can't believe that won't involve a degree of linkage with St John's."

But David Birtwhistle, a member of the pressure group Save Our St John's which is opposed to the development, queried Sainsbury's claims that businesses would be better off.

He claimed that after taking away the supermarket's expected turnover of £23.6m a year from the predicted £34m generated in the St John's district by the store, businesses would be left with £10.4m - £3.2m less than current income.

But Mr Woolner stressed that the predictions had not included staff wages, nor the increase in business generated by the extra shoppers to the area, which he said would see income for the district rise accordingly.