Lidl remains “fully committed” to opening a new store in Bath, despite pulling their planning application.
How the new Lidl store could look | Photo © Lidl GB
The discount supermarket chain has long planned to build a new store off London Road on the eastern edge of the city, which would have brought up to 40 new jobs to the area and made affordable food more accessible.
But neighbours protested at the plans to build the supermarket on a field dubbed an “inadvertent nature reserve” last summer and almost 1,200 people lodged objections to the plans.
The planning application was withdrawn earlier this month. But a spokesperson for Lidl said: “We remain fully committed to opening a new Lidl store in Bath to give even more households access to high quality, affordable produce.
“To ensure that our application is as robust as possible and contains the results of vital highways surveys, we have withdrawn our application with a view to resubmitting it later in the year once we’ve had an opportunity to carry out these surveys.
“We look forward to working with the local Council on the updated application and to providing further updates to residents in due course.”
Joanna Wright, a local Green councillor on Bath & North East Somerset Council, said: “Myself and councillor Saskia Heijltjes, as ward councillor for Lambridge have been against the development of a supermarket at this site because we know already how problematic and congested the strategic road network is on the east of Bath.
“This site would have caused even greater disruption to local highways, whether you are a driver, cyclist or walker.
“Coupled with the real threat of impacting our UNESCO status by placing a superstore at a historic gateway and threatening local businesses, this application was never going to get through planning. That’s why Lidl have withdrawn this application, they don’t want to be seen to lose. No doubt they will try again.
“The fight will continue to stop any supermarket being built on this site.”
In total, 1,194 people lodged objections to the plans on Bath & North East Somerset Council’s planning portal. 402 people lodged comments in support, while 23 people also left uncategorised comments.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
