LOCAL jobs to help the area's longer-term unemployed are on the cards if Asda gets the go-ahead for a new Thornton Heath store.
The commitment was made by the retail company while presenting proposals for the shop, earmarked for the site of the store formerly occupied by MFI and Dreams off Thornton Road, to the council's strategic planning committee last Thursday.
Asda outlined the scheme to obtain planning councillors' views prior to putting in two formal applications.
One of these will seek permission to change the conditions of use of the premises to allow the sale of food and the other will deal with alterations to the building and changes to the road system.
Asda has said the new store will employ about 200 people and Labour councillor Maggie Mansell said after the meeting she had been particularly pleased about the commitment on jobs.
She said: "We all welcomed the fact they talked about recruiting and training people who have been out of work for a while, rather than taking staff from existing shops."
Asda also answered concerns raised at the meeting about overspill parking onto nearby side streets, saying that the 105 parking spaces should be adequate to cope with the number of customers arriving.
Further talks with Transport for London about providing traffic signals at the site's junction with Thornton Road will be held before the applications are submitted.