By John Wimperis, local democracy reporter with additional reporting from Harry Mottram: Lidl has submitted a fresh planning application to build a new supermarket in Bath.
Controversial plans to build a Lidl on a field off London Road on the eastern edge of the city were withdrawn by the budget supermarket chain last July.
The company said at the time that it was committed to opening a store in the city and would submit an improved application once it had carried out highways surveys and other work.
Now, new plans for a store in the same place have been submitted. Lidl said the plans had been designed to mitigate any impact on traffic on London Road, which had been a key concern about the previous proposal.
Glen Stidever, Lidl’s regional head of property, said: “Through extensive consultation and careful planning, we have revised our proposals in key areas such as design, traffic management, and landscaping to create a store that is truly befitting of the location and safe and accessible for all.
“We believe this revised plan will provide even greater benefits for the local community, and we look forward to receiving further feedback as we move towards the planning determination later this year.”
The new Lidl would create up to 40 jobs. As well as “significant updates” to traffic management, new landscaping has been included and an updated retail assessment which Lidl said confirmed that it would not have a significant negative impact on nearby shopping areas.
But the store will also contain covered bicycle and cargo bicycle parking and eight eclectic vehicle charging points. There would be two signalled crossings for pedestrian access, one across London Road and one across the lane into the car park.
The original plan faced a protest when the plans were unveiled. One member of the public discussing his conflicting feelings at the consultation said the site on which the supermarket would be built had become an “inadvertent nature reserve.”
In total, 1,194 people lodged objections to the plans on Bath and North East Somerset Council’s planning portal. 402 people lodged comments in support.
Opposition has also come from rival supermarkets in the city who fear the impact of a new Lidl could even jeapodise their business.
Morrisons in particular are concerned the new supermarket on the same road could knock their turnover back by up to a quarter meaning the store’s viability would be in doubt.
Waitrose and the Co-op have also rung alarm bells over the prospect of another supermarket opening in Bath with their business also taking a hit.
Green Party Lambridge councillors Joanna Wright and Saskia Heijltjes, are on record as having opposed the new supermarket since it will be built on a meadow rich in wildlife by the river.
Their argument is the extra traffic will add to congestion and increase pollution.
Cllr Joanna Wright said: “Lambridge meadow is not the right place for a supermarket. Residents are rightly worried about the impact of increased traffic at this site and how vehicles will be diverted into residential streets. Further, the harm this development would do to biodiversity and retail in the area is significant. Bath already has one Lidl store, it does not need a second.”
The application by Lidl will see a new period of consultation allowing residents – some of who are in favour of the Lidl plan – to have their say along with those on the council.
A decision seems unlikely much before Christmas at the earliest.
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