Supermarket chain Asda is sending leaflets to thousands of residents and businesses to gauge support for its £40m Witney scheme.

Colourful leaflets will start dropping through letter boxes from todayas part of a massive consultation project.

The leaflet is headed "An opportunity for Witney" and poses the question "How will this benefit the local community?"

It explains plans and shows a site map of the proposed Asda store on the 16-acre Downs Road site surrounded by 380 parking spaces, 170 houses and flats -- 80 of which would be affordable -- to be built by Bloor Homes.

There is also a computer-generated image of the proposed new Witney United football stadium, which would be built at West Witney Sports Ground, off Burford Road, as part of a £3m investment by Asda in sports facilities.

The leaflet has been added to Witney United's website, with a message from chairman Steve Lake.

He said: "The plans look very promising -- not only for the town but also for United as we look to progress the club".

Supporters' club chairman Mark Reid said: "This is truly fantastic, and very exciting times to be a United fan. From starting the club with nothing, we are now on the verge of this."

As reported in the Oxford Mail, the football club's existing Downs Road stadium would be demolished to make way for the supermarket and housing development.

The new stadium would have a 3,500 capacity, changing rooms for teams using football and cricket pitches at West Witney, and a spectator balcony overlooking the pitches.

Asda also pledges to invest money in upgrading existing tennis, bowls and shooting facilities at the sports ground and improvements to changing rooms and pitches at Burwell Meadows Recreation Ground.

The supermarket chain submitted a planning application for the store and housing to West Oxfordshire District Council earlier this month.

At present plans do not include a petrol station, but the leaflet says Asda is looking into building one. It also includes a box asking people to tick whether they agree, disagree or are undecided over whether they "generally support" the plans.

Samantha Donaldson, who is helping coordinate consultation on behalf of Asda, said the leaflets were the first stage in the consultation process, and public exhibitions would be organised in the town at a later date.

She hoped people would get involved and make their voices heard when the district council discussed the proposals.

The council's planning department was unable to say when the plans would be considered.

It is also preparing to consider an application from Sainsbury's to expand its Witney store, in Witan Way, by 2,364sqm. Waitrose and Somerfield, which have stores in the town centre, have raised concerns over the Asda plans' impact.