The sale means the club can start work on its brand new 7,000 capacity stadium at Westgate - a development the club says is essential for Morecambe FC's survival as a Football League club.

Public consultation is to start immediately on the Sainsbury proposal for a new, 40,000sq ft store.

Both projects would create scores of new jobs during construction with the new store providing up to 350 new permanent positions if it gets the go-ahead.

Sale of Christie Park to Sainsbury's is not dependent on the store gaining planning permission.

Sainsbury's say the success of the application for the Morecambe store would not threaten the future of the company's existing store in Lancaster for which expansion plans have already been submitted.

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Sainsbury's regional development executive, Jo Try, commented: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring a Sainsbury's foodstore to Morecambe and to have been able to make things happen for the football club along the way."

Shrimps chairman, Peter McGuigan, said: "The sale of Christie Park is great news for us and the local community since it allows us to not only build a fantastic future for the club but also to provide much needed community sport facilities including an all-weather, full size pitch, a number of multi-sports courts and changing facilities.

"Our award-winning community sports charity will be able to exyend its current operation and deliver even greater benefits to the local community.

"The new stadium will provide an opportunity for the club to raise fresh revenue streams which would be impossible to achieve at Christie Park and should, therefore, ensure the financial viability of Morecambe Football Club."

Construction work on the new stadium will begin this spring with completion in the first half of 2010.

Christie Park would be formally 'handed over' to Sainsbury's in July 2010 and the club would start the 2010/11 season at the new stadium.

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