AFTER nearly five years of supermarket store wars in Torrington, Lidl is set to open before the end of the year.

The European chain officially became the owner of New Street Car Park last week and construction is set to start on the town's first major supermarket soon.

The first phase will be demolishing the former Torrington Motors and building a 40 space public car park in its place.

The supermarket chain will then be able to start work on building the actual store itself.

Lidl's development executive, Oliver McGuinness was pleased the sale of the land his company bought from Torridge District Council was complete.

He said if the building work went to plan Torrington residents could be shopping there before Christmas.

Having a large supermarket in the town has proved controversial for residents.

Some are fed up with having to travel to Bideford or Barnstaple to do a weekly shop, while others did not want the large number of independent traders to suffer.

Store wars broke out in 2005 after both Somerfield and Tesco applied to build supermarkets in the town.

Somerfield eventually won the battle, being granted permission to build a store in School Lane in December 2006 — at the same time Tesco was thrown out.

Somerfield said building would begin in January 2007, but it never did.

In November 2007, Torridge District Council's plans committee was told by Somerfield's agent that building work would start "at the earliest opportunity."

But instead subsequent applications were submitted to build 23 sheltered homes next to the proposed store.

Planners put a stop to the housing development and Somerfield bosses would not confirm if the supermarket would be financially viable without the housing element.

At the beginning of 2009 Co-operative finished its buy out of Somerfield and said the proposed store at Torrington is "something still in the melting pot" .

But three years on and despite Somerfield repeatedly saying they are "committed to Torrington" nothing has been done.

A spokesman for Co-operative said: "Following our acquisition of Somerfield we are reviewing both the Co-operative group and Somerfield future store portfolio and capital expenditure program. Plans for a store in Torrington will form a part of that review."