TESCO has submitted a planning application to Liverpool city council for a Tesco Extra ‘Regeneration Partnership’ store in Park Road, Toxteth.

It is claimed the proposed development, on the site of the former Mecca bingo hall, would create in excess of 300 permanent new jobs for the area, with the majority of new employees recruited locally.

At least half of the new jobs will be filled through a local partnership scheme which Tesco plans to set up with local training and other agencies in the Toxteth and Dingle areas.

The scheme will specifically target the long-term unemployed, with the company and its partners providing help and advice on making applications and interview techniques.

Recruits who complete a six week training programme will be guaranteed a job at the end.

Tesco says it has already created 4,000 new jobs at ‘Regeneration Partnership’ stores.

The proposed store will occupy 9,571 square metres and provide 537 car parking spaces and a petrol station. The site will have the capacity to house several small retail units, including a community café.

Tesco believe the new store will "provide a much-needed facility for the local community as well as a welcome boost to the area’s continued regeneration."

The submission of the planning application follows a consultation process which started 18 months ago and is still ongoing.

Corporate affairs manager Jennifer Duncan said: "Tesco wants to work with local people in Toxteth to provide sustainable job opportunities for local people and help aid the regeneration of the area.

"Our approach is based on our belief that neighbourhood renewal is not just about bricks and mortar but about renewing and strengthening the life of a diverse community and helping social cohesion.

"If our application is successful we look forward to giving local people who have been out of work for more than six months, the opportunity for new employment and a fresh start. We believe this application represents a really exciting opportunity for local people and for the area."

Gerard Murden MD Enterprise for The PlusDane Group welcomed the Tesco plan.

He said: "This is just what Toxteth needs. It will help provide jobs for people who have either never been in work or who have been out of work for a long time. The store will also breathe new life into an area of the city where we have been working for the last 8 years through our INclude Neighbourhood Regeneration Company."