Fermanagh and Omagh District Council received direction from the Department for Infrastructure to suspend planning approval for a Sainsbury's supermarket in Omagh. The pause allows review of a call-in request submitted by Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts.

The council granted permission for the store on February 18. The proposed site sits at Great Northern Retail Park on the A5 and Tamlaght Road junction. Developers expect the outlet to create 100 full-time and part-time jobs.

Retail NI objected to the plans citing traffic impacts on the A5 alongside effects on independent retailers and the town centre. The group sent correspondence last month requesting departmental oversight given the proposal's regional scale and risks to the A5.

Roberts pointed to a KPMG report commissioned by the council that flags congestion at the A5 and Great Northern Road junction. He noted Retail NI members' worries over added traffic worsening isolation for communities in Derry, Strabane and Donegal.

The A5 serves as a main route linking Belfast and Derry to the border and carries high traffic volumes with a history of collisions. The Department for Infrastructure's chief planner indicated plans to conclude the review without delay.