A supermarket giant says it still plans to open a new store in a south Buckinghamshire village next year - quashing rumours that they had pulled out of a deal to open a shop alongside a new apartment building.

McCarthy and Stone announced last week that work had begun on 25 retirement apartments in The Parade, Bourne End, and Sainsbury’s have now come out and denied suggestions from residents that they will not be occupying a store incorporated in the development.

Wycombe District Council gave the green light for building to go ahead in 2014, with Sainsbury’s previously announcing their intention to open a store as part of the construction.

A spokesman for the company has now said they hope to open in 2016, creating close to 25 jobs within the community.

Sainsbury’s corporate communications assistant, Alexandra Hunter-Dunn, said: “We are planning to open a Sainsbury’s Local at Bourne End. The Local is due to open in early 2016.

“Sainsbury’s always seeks to employ from the local community and expects the new store to create approximately 20-25 new job opportunities.

“We believe the proposed Local in Bourne End will bring a number of benefits to the community by providing investment and new jobs, support for local charities and schools and high quality affordable food offer for local residents.”

Some residents had contacted the Bucks Free Press in the last week reporting that they believed the company had pulled out because of the recent opening of Tesco in the same road.

And, on a number of occasions in the past, village residents’ association chairman Jim Penfold has claimed the opening of too many large supermarket chains in Bourne End will have a detrimental effect on other, smaller, traders.