The UK's largest department store is heading for Crawley.

Crawley Borough Council has reached an understanding with John Lewis that it will be the preferred flagship store when the northern part of the town is redeveloped.

The council has teamed up with the retail group to find a developer to turn the area into a thriving retail, leisure and housing quarter.

The new department store, which will cover about 23,000sqm, will be the keystone of the redevelopment of the land to the north of The Boulevard.

The proposed site will also include improved transport links to the town centre, new leisure and retail facilities and a high level of affordable housing.

The aim will be to have the new store open by 2010.

Council leader Chris Redmayne said: "We're absolutely delighted the John Lewis Partnership is considering opening such a prestigious store in the town.

"It's a great coup and is exactly the kind of store we wanted to attract. It reflects the tremendous retail success we have had to date and marks a sea change for the town as we move towards becoming a major shopping and leisure destination in the region."

Ann Humphries, director of retail development at John Lewis, said: "We would really like to find a way to open a department store in Crawley.

"We have established an excellent relationship with the council and want to work in partnership to select the right developer to progress the mixed use scheme of which retail forms a key role."

John Lewis is also rumoured to be interested in a move to Brighton.

The store has long been linked to the redevelopment of the Brighton Centre, which is due to close in three years.

The group, which owns Waitrose, has announced major expansion plans for 2007/8 following a ten per cent profit rise last year.

Sales in the partnership's stores broke the £5 billion barrier for the first time, establishing it as one of the UK's top ten retail groups.