Food giant Asda has applied for planning permission to redevelop the Sutton High Street site soon to be vacated by Tesco, into a state-of-the-art superstore.

The news, revealed this week to the Comet, comes as more than 1000 residents have signed a petition opposing Tesco's closure.

In Asda's application submitted earlier this week, a complete redevelopment of both the supermarket and neighbouring NCP carpark was proposed.

The new store would create an estimated 450 local jobs.

But Asda admits that if its application, which was submitted by the property owners Box, is approved, the shop may not be ready to trade until Christmas 2003.

This means when Tesco closes in June 2002, shoppers at the north end of the High Street could be without a food store for a year and a half.

Town centre manager Richard Thomas welcomed Asda's bid for the site, saying: "It's wonderful news. Although it would inconvenience people for some time, there would be a long term benefit. In the meantime people could use other stores including Safeway at the other end of the high street."

But Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Burstow has said that the elderly and people with young families would find it a struggle to walk the distance to other food stores.

Leader of the council, Councillor Mike Cooper said: "It's a shame the store will have to shut but there is no alternative as Tesco has made it quite clear it is going."

Meanwhile, councillor John Morgan planned to send the petition to Tesco in the next few days, but a spokesman for the supermarket said: "Unfortunately Tesco will still close."

In the same week, a government inspector has recommended in his report for the revised Unitary Development Plan that the land Tesco purchased in Oldfields Road should be used for industrial purposes only, not for retail.

His report concluded that land next to the Kimpton Industrial Area should be developed exclusively for industry.

Coun Cooper said: "This has put a real spanner in the works and we now need to look at the recommendations he has made and propose amendments."

The report findings will shock Tesco, which was rumoured to be submitting a planning application for the land it bought recently from the council.

In return for being allowed to purchase the site next to their Cheam Park Farm store, which fuelled rumours of expansion, the supermarket giant struck a deal with Sutton Council to fund the completion of the A24/A217 link road.

November 30, 2001 13:00