Plans to build a supermarket distribution warehouse on the outskirts of Didcot have been put on hold following traffic concerns.

Asda wants a chilled distribution centre covering 38,910 square metres next to Didcot Power Stations, on land off Sutton Courtenay Lane now used as a car storage area.

It would be its second centre in the town and could create up to 500 jobs, but the proposal has sparked concern from residents of Sutton Courtenay who fear it would generate extra noise and traffic in the village.

After hearing the concerns, the Vale of White Horse District Council's development control committee voted to defer the application to obtain advice from an independent traffic consultant.

The committee heard that county council highways engineers had no objections to the scheme on the condition that heavy goods vehicles were banned from using Sutton Courtenay Lane and other nearby villages.

Gazeley Properties, a subsidiary of Asda WalMart which put in the planning application, had also agreed to contribute £400,000 towards highway and transport improvements in the area, implement a travel plan and control shift patterns to avoid peak traffic times.

But the parish councils of Sutton Courtenay, Milton and Appleford all raised concerns about the impact on roads.

Mary Thompson, for Sutton Courtenay Parish Council, said: "The site is not in Didcot, it is Sutton Courtenay -- a rural parish. There's no local unemployment so people will have to travel to get to the site, as well as the heavy goods vehicles going there."

South Oxfordshire District Council objected to the plans saying Didcot's northern perimeter road already had problems, and concern was also expressed that the Milton Interchange could not cope with any additional traffic.