Giant Tesco leave giant footprint on Walsall

It dominates the landscape and dwarfs the buildings around it - this aerial picture shows the sheer scale of Walsall's new £55 million Tesco Extra store.

Standing at the site of the town's former college, the grey-clad building now occupies 10,880 sq metres at the heart of Walsall.

Final preparations are well under way as the new store gets ready to open on December 6, creating 230 jobs.

It comes after months of work, which began with the demolition of the college's former St Paul's Campus.

Space for 750 cars is also included at the vast site as well as a cafe, offices and a petrol station.

Other examples of the changing face of the town can be seen around the new supermarket.

Walsall College's new £64 million Wisemore Campus, home to thousands of students, stands opposite Tesco.

Both buildings were the subject of a land swap agreement organised by Walsall Council and the former Walsall Regeneration Company.

Behind the supermarket the edge of the town's Crown Wharf Retail Park can be seen. Home to stores such as Asda Living, Next and TK Maxx, it attracts thousands of visitors every weekend.

Walsall's main police headquarters - which is expected to move to new premises in the town within the next three years - can also be seen in a key position on Walsall's ring road, itself the subject of a recent mutli-million revamp.

The new supermarket also dwarves Walsall Council's offices, housed in the brown brick building at the front of the image.