Plans for a new Sainsbury’s megastore at Ponsharden will still go ahead, despite a recent downturn in the company’s fortunes.

In March, the supermarket chain reported its first fall in like-for-like sales figures in nine years, and has also recently said it will be focusing more on smaller local stores rather than larger out-of-town developments.

However, although half a year has passed since permission was granted without any building work taking place, the company has reaffirmed its commitment to the project.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: “We remain committed to the site in Falmouth and will be improving the fencing around it in coming months, however at the moment we don’t have a schedule for its development.”

Permission for the development, which will be three times the size of the supermarket it will replace, and which should create around 350 new jobs, was granted in August 2013.

The store had hoped to start work in early 2012, but the planning process stretched out over more than two years with wrangling over the section 106 agreement and other conditions.