DOZENS of jobs may be created in Strood after it was revealed Safeway is planning to build a large store in the town. The company has confirmed it is the mystery developer behind the old Fisher Control site which was earmarked for a supermarket years ago.

Rumours have been rife in the town for weeks that Safeway, which currently has a store in Strood High Street, could soon have bigger and better premises in Knight Road, next to Matalan.

Now the supermarket chain has confirmed it has received outline planning consent for a new store in Knight Road, although more detailed plans have still to be agreed with Medway Council.

Residents and traders alike are now hoping the development could mean more jobs for Strood - and that Safeway's current site could be opened up for development.

Town centre forum chairman Geoff Bradbury said rumours of Safeway's new store have led shopkeepers, keen to encourage trade, to dream of an indoor market in the middle of the High Street. Possibilities of bringing farmers' markets to the town have already been raised by traders.