Morrisons supermarket chain is planning on opening a new store in the Woodford Broadway shopping district.

Developers have applied to demolish the former tax office - known as Charteris House - in Charteris Road and build a 3.5 storey tall building which would include the new branch and nine flats above it.

The site already has planning permission for such a building but applicants The Tannen Group Ltd has asked Redbridge Council to approve tweaks to the plans, such as designating part of the first floor for retail use.

The applicant's agent, property consultants Peacock and Smith, have revealed Morrisons wants to occupy the ground floor of the building and use the first floor for storage, a staff canteen, toilets and offices.

Morrisons are following hot on the heels of Sainsbury's, which opened a 'Local' branch in The Broadway in December 2011, and there is already a medium-sized Budgens store in the street.

But a spokeswoman for Morrisons told the Guardian that the plans were not a done deal, despite the site already having planning permission for a new retail building.

She said: “We are pushing forward with our plans to bring our new and exciting Morrisons M local convenience stores to more places and would love to open a new store in the area. 

"We continue to seek opportunities and look forward to sharing plans with the community should anything progress.”

The tweaked planning application is expected to be decided on by Redbridge Council in the next few months.