Sainsbury’s has submitted plans for a multi-million-pound extension to its Heyford Hill store on the Oxford ring road.

The supermarket chain is planning to build an extension at the front of the store, which would include a new entrance lobby, with extensive glazing facing out to the car park.

A new restaurant would be built on the first floor, with the store to undergo a complete refurbishment inside.

Extensions would also be added to the rear of the building to increase warehouse space and online goods facilities.

The extension, when finished, would see up to 50 new full-time and part-time jobs created.

David McElhannan, Sainsbury’s development executive, said: “Our proposals would provide an improved shopping experience to our Heyford Hill customers, including an enhanced product range, a modernised shopping environment and new investment and job opportunities for the area.”

The internal refurbishment would include new fresh meat, fish, delicatessen and hot food counters. There would also be more modern in-store displays and a more “open and spacious environment” for shoppers.

In the last two years, Oxford City Council has granted planning permission for some new warehousing at the rear of the store and a new restaurant to the front.

The latest improvements would replace these approved changes, which have not yet been built.

But the company says the new plans would not increase the sales space of the store, above that already approved by the council — it insists it would simply create a better store layout for customers.

The planning application will go to the city council’s south east area committee on Monday.

Planning officers will recommend that the scheme is approved.

The officers’ report to councillors says: “The applicants have a significant fall-back position in relation to this scheme, in terms of two extant planning permissions.

“On balance, the proposal is considered acceptable in terms of the impact on the retail needs of Oxford as a whole.

In relation to access, parking, sustainability, landscaping and impact on neighbours, the proposal is considered acceptable.”

Sainsbury’s hopes work on the store extension could begin early in the new year. The multi-million-pound works would take about six months to complete.

The existing Heyford Hill store has a floor space of 50,152 sq ft.

The scheme would see space increase to 64,592 sq ft, making the new store comparable in size to the completed Sainsbury’s store in Banbury, which is being extended.

The company said the Oxford store would create wider aisles and more space around the checkout points. It would also allow an expansion of non-food products already sold at the store, such as homeware, kitchenware, clothing and electricals.

Neighbours had earlier raised concerns about the position of proposed recycling facilities.

Councillors will be told an acoustic fence will be erected to avoid the problem of litter blowing from the site.

The report to councillors suggests that the scheme is unlikely to have an impact on other retail centres.