Pic: Ell Brown

The Manhattan, a disused bar on Croydon High Street, is to be transformed into a Sainsbury’s supermarket.

Croydon Council has permitted a direct transaction from the building’s previous status as a bar to a retail space without the need for a formal planning application.

A Sainsbury’s spokesman told the Croydon Advertiser: “We are pleased to confirm plans for a new Sainsbury’s Local in the High Street, Croydon. We believe the store will bring a number of benefits to the area, including 25 new jobs and provide a convenient shopping offer for local residents, shoppers and office workers when it opens later this year.”

John Doyle of Panther Securities, the building’s owners, hopes to have the deal confirmed within the month.

“I expect to exchange contracts by the end of next week and complete a month after that,” he said.

The bar has remained empty for five years since its closure, which Doyle said is “hardly surprising since it had a rateable value of £300,000”.

After an appeal, Doyle’s estimated rating was dropped to £80,000, attracting the interest of a number of companies.

Sainsbury’s currently has five stores in Croydon, two of which are small-scale. Recent attempts by the supermarket chain to build stores in Hackney and Lewisham have been opposed by local traders.