The sale of the Portholme Road site, vacated by the Council during last summer, was slated for discussion at a private session of the council's executive cabinet which met yesterday at their Doncaster Road offices.

Bradford based supermarket giant Wm Morrison is hotly tipped as new favourites to take ownership of the vacated land, marking the start of a new phase in the ongoing battle for Selby's shopping supremacy with their 'noisy neighbours' at Tesco, who occupy the adjoining site.

An undisclosed sum, but understood to be in the order of six figures, from the Yorkshire grocers is understood to be amongst the the bids being considered by the committee.

Both Morrisons and Tesco are keen to grow their presence in the town centre and have each been progressing their own expansion plans through the planning process and purchase of land over recent years.

Tesco took ownership the Council's old storage depot at the rear of it's store for £3.4 million in 2007.  In October last year, the company increased the stakes by picking up another parcel of land, including the Civic Centre itself, this time handing over a further £2.5 million.

The final piece of Civic Centre real estate under offer is understood to include the access road and a portion of the car park to the rear of the centre.

The land was previously earmarked for development of a replacement primary school as part of Dransfield Properties' ill fated plans to expand it's Market Cross Shopping Centre into the current school site.

Other potential uses for the land that have been tabled since the demise of the school deal are understood to have included the possible use of the site for the development of a residential care home facility.

It is not yet known whether, should Morrisons be successful in it's bid, the land would be used to build a Petrol Station or whether it would be simply 'banked' to prevent further expansion by rivals Tesco.