Morrisons has joined retailers Waitrose and The Co-operative Group in formally objecting to the latest plans for a new Lidl on London Road in Bath.
How the new store could look | Image © Lidl GB
Morrisons, which already has a store on London Road, has warned that a Lidl would see turnover at its Southgate Street store plummet by 25% – which could put the future of the store in doubt and have a knock-on effect on the city centre.
Lidl’s original proposals to build a second supermarket in the city (it already has a store on Lower Bristol Road) were met with a protest and more than 1,500 comments.
But last summer the budget supermarket chain withdrew the planning application for the site east of Bath Rugby’s training ground, coming back in April with a new application designed to mitigate any impact on traffic on London Road.
Hundreds of comments have again been posted on Bath & North East Somerset Council’s planning portal, the majority against the plans, but also many in favour.
Lidl’s planning consultants have estimated that the impact of a new store on London Road would reduce turnover at the Morrisons in the city centre by almost 10%.
But consultants for Morrisons say the store is not achieving the turnover level estimated by Lidl, and the actual level of impact would be much higher – at almost 25%.
They say: “This level of impact could bring into question the continued viability of this location for Morrisons. A reduction in the number of shoppers using the city centre for convenience shopping and/or a reduction in the choice and range of convenience stores have the potential to adversely affect the overall health of the centre.
“The same point applies to the network of local centres in Bath, all of which are anchored by their convenience stores, including the Morrisons stores in Bathwick Street, Combe Down and Twerton.
“Of particular concern is the potential level of impact on Larkhall, which we note is particularly dependent on its convenience stores.”
They add: “In summary, it is considered that the applicant has not satisfied the planning policy requirements of demonstrating that there are no alternative sequentially preferable sites that could accommodate the proposal and that the proposed Lidl store would not have a significantly adverse impact on the vitality and viability of centres in the local area.”
Morrisons’ consultants have also submitted a highways objection prepared by Exigo, saying that Lidl’s application “significantly underestimates” the effect of the proposed development on the road network.
Meanwhile planning consultants for Waitrose have said it has the only large supermarket within the city centre and is an “anchor store”.
“We have identified several concerns with the planning and retail statement which has been submitted as part of the planning application, in respect of a number of assumptions in regard to the assessment of retail impact.
“We consider the financial impact assessment as currently presented does not clearly demonstrate that a ‘significant adverse’ impact will not arise on Bath city centre.
“Our client’s store plays a key role in supporting overall vitality and viability of Bath city centre and is likely to support footfall and linked trips spending within the wider city centre.
“The impacts arising against our client’s store therefore present a significant planning consideration for the authority in their determination of the application.”
The proposed Lidl would be almost four times the size of the Co-op in St Saviour’s Road in Larkhall. Planning consultants for the Co-operative Group say it’s recognised that commercial competition is not a material planning consideration, and it only objects to proposals for retail developments that are “clearly contrary” to national and local planning policies that seek to ensure the vitality of town centres and support the role that these centres play in the heart of their local communities.
The Co-op report says the proposed Lidl is not sustainably located and relies wholly on shopping trips by car. It describes Lidl’s retail impact assessment as “flawed”.
Vehicular access to the new store would be from a new arm at the Gloucester Road signal-controlled junction, with pedestrian and cycle provision also made from the same location.
The new store would have parking for 81 cars and there would be 12 cycle spaces. There would also be local bus stop improvements.
As well as concerns about impact on nearby local shopping centres, other comments of objection on the planning portal highlight increased congestion, the impact on air quality and the river corridor, the erosion of the “green ring” surrounding Bath, and the harm to the Conservation Area and Bath’s World Heritage status.
Bath’s MP Wera Hobhouse and the two Green councillors for the Lambridge ward, Joanna Wright and Saskia Heijltjes, are among the objectors.
But supporters of a new Lidl story say the east side of the city needs a budget supermarket and less traffic would have to travel through the city if there was a new Lidl at Lambridge.
One Batheaston resident says in her objection on the planning portal: “Currently I drive either to other supermarkets such as Aldi and Lidl in Chippenham as it’s sometimes quicker for me to do so than sit and crawl through urban traffic to get to my other nearest main supermarket Morrisons off the London Road; the traffic can be dire at certain sections of the London Road primarily because of the traffic lights by Grosvenor, Upper East Hayes and Cleveland Bridge junction.”
She added: “I realise that there are other supermarkets such as Co-op in Larkhall, but these serve the local community there and I think the competition would be good.
“I recall when Safeway (now Morrisons) was built and the same arguments were put forward that it would damage trade in Larkhall, but I beg to differ, it didn’t, and I believe this area of Bath can handle another supermarket.”
B&NES Council is due to make a decision on whether to grant planning permission for the Lidl by the end of the year.
