Traders have been left shell-shocked by Sainsbury's decision not to open a supermarket in Wealdstone Town Centre.

After months of promises from the company, which repeatedly stated it was dedicated to opening a branch in the High Street, it now claims the proposals were not considered 'a viable option at this time'.

But this will be cold comfort for the many individuals and groups who have over the past three years looked to Sainsbury's to help revitalise Wealdstone's shopping area and its whole future.

Partner Harrow Council could be forgiven for sounding bitter in its statement on what appears to be the final twist in the long running saga.

"The council finds it hard to accept this decision when Sainsbury's have had previous opportunities to withdraw from the scheme. An earlier decision of this nature would have left the council free to pursue other options.

"Decisions to continue at every stage were made solely by Sainsbury's with virtually the same information available then as is available now."

Sainsbury's does not deny the potential for a supermarket in Wealdstone but said the company faced difficulties in a number of areas.

There had 'always been a conflict', it claimed, between establishing a site of suitable size and the cost of acquiring the land and properties involved.

"To construct a store of 38,000 sq ft gross area with 20,000 sq ft devoted to sales would involve assembling a development site including over 20 properties involving 35 different parties," said a spokesman.

"The finances needed to assemble the site do not support the anticipated trade levels at the store."

Chris Fenner, director at Sainsbury's property company, added they had raised the viability of the scheme with Harrow Council and looked for solutions. An application for planning permission was submitted in June.

"Over the past few months we have been seeking savings and factoring in possible housing use on the site. Some savings were found and more housing has featured in the development, but it has become clear that the additional construction and site assembly costs do not make the scheme viable for us to progress any further. In fact, there remains a funding gap of several million pounds," said Mr Fenner.

However it is the traders struggling to survive who are feeling the financial pressure.

Ron Lucas, chairman of Wealdstone Traders' Association said: "There are mixed feelings among the traders on hearing this news. Some feel disbelief that it has happened and others are angry.

"It is early days to see how things will develop but for the immediate future the High Street is going to be in the same state for the next three or four years, which is not good."

The council will now re-examine the options for generating additional investment in Wealdstone to support the centre's trading activities and to build upon a number of initiatives which been promoted by the Wealdstone Regeneration Steering Group.

There is a silver lining the Government recently agreed to financially support the Wealdstone centre proposals through its Private Finance Initiative Scheme.

By.Rachel Clarke