The application follows a public consultation into the proposals over the summer, which the chain claims saw 94% of the 1,000 respondents in favour of a new store.

Information leaflets were distributed to 15,000 households in the area to ensure the local community could have their say, the company said.

The submission comes weeks after the Co-op and Tesco held their own consultations with the public, and rumours of ASDA’s potential interest in the town continue to circulate.

Jo Try, regional development executive for Sainsbury’s, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who’s been involved in the consultation process so far – we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response.

“Many people told us that they have to travel to Scarborough, Teesside and even York to do their food shopping. A Sainsbury’s store would stem that flow and keep people in Whitby.”

Sainsbury’s said that during the consultation, people said they wanted a Sainsbury’s petrol station on the site, bringing competitive prices to the town.

Miss Try added: “We would very much like to bring a Sainsbury’s petrol station to Whitby and we are evaluating a couple of possible sites.”

If planning permission was granted, the new store would create 250 full and part-time jobs for local people, the company said.

The majority of the responses that were sent to Scarborough Council, which the local authority has published on its website, highlight the need for a closer option for a supermarket.

Some concerns remain over traffic congestion in and out of the site and the loss of jobs from the Europower site.

The application will be up for discussion at a Whitby Town Council’s planning meeting tonight at 6pm and will go before the borough council’s planning committee in the new year.