PLANS to turn bar/restaurant/function suite Madisons at Olivebank Retail Park into a bargain superstore and create up to 50 new jobs have been given the go-ahead by East Lothian planning officials.

Kilmac Commercial Ltd, which bought the retail park late last year, plans to replace Madisons with a Home Bargains store by more than doubling its floorspace.

The property developers told the Courier in January this year they believe the rebuild will bring up to 55 jobs to the town, with up to 50 full-time and part-time positions expected to be created when the store is up and running.

Now planners have granted planning permission for the change of use and expansion of the building’s internal floorspace from 6,000 square feet to 12,500 square feet, as well as an additional 26 car park spaces and outside trolley bay.

Home Bargains has more than 280 stores and employs more than 8,000 staff in the UK. The proposed store would have a gross floor area of 1,247 square metres, 987 sq m of that being retail sales.

Among conditions imposed by East Lothian Council is that no more than 30 per cent of the retail space is given to the storage and sale of food.

The retail site already has an Aldi and Iceland store on it.

Kilmac has been working with Madisons since taking over the site last year to help it relocate and the venue is likely to close before the end of the summer.

Home Bargains hopes to be operating on the site by Christmas.

Derek Ross, Kilmac Commercial Ltd group director, believed Home Bargains would add another element to the park.

He said: “We believe these stores [Home Bargains and the existing Aldi and Iceland] can work well together and are excited about opening up the site to allow the units at the back of the retail park, in the Newhailes estate, to be brought into the new development.

“This is an exciting venture and the development of a new Home Bargains store has the potential to create up to 50 new employment opportunities in the local area.”