Lidl, Wetherby: Campaigners and traders 'dismayed' as 'polarising' supermarket plans approved on appeal
Wetherby councillors and campaigners have reacted with shock after “polarising” plans for a new Lidl supermarket and care home were approved on appeal.
Lidl recently had its joint application with Springfield Healthcare for a new supermarket, care home and senior living accommodation on Leeds Road approved by the Planning Inspectorate, the government body responsible for handling planning appeals.
The application had previously been unanimously rejected by Leeds City Council in October last year after complaints were raised about its location and the impact on smaller independent retailers in the town.
The scheme had divided opinion in Wetherby, with supporters claiming a Lidl would boost supermarket competition and provide welcome jobs to the area.
Roger Owen, who is the chair of the Better Wetherby Partnership, said that the decision was “potentially disastrous” as it went against the town’s site allocation plan.
He said: “It drives a coach and horses through not just local planning policy but also national policy.
“It’s totally wrong and it opens the gates for other planning decisions in other towns to be turned around.”
Mr Owen also said that independent businesses could be “seriously affected” as the supermarket will take shoppers out of the town centre.
“A lot of local traders are absolutely dismayed by the decision”, he said. “We have already had enough shops close in the centre.”
He also said that the company “never engaged” with councillors or those opposed to the plans and that it will have an adverse impact on traffic.
He said: “We are not opposed to Lidl coming to Wetherby, we opposed to it on this site but Lidl were not willing to discuss other sites.
“It’s right next to residential accommodation and an important gateway to the town which is already struggling with capacity. This is going to make it worse.”
Councillors Alan Lamb (Conservative) and Penny Stables (Green) both said they were surprised at the planning inspectorate’s decision.
Coun Lamb, who was against the application based on the location, said that he was now focused on working with Lidl to “make sure it is the best it can be”.
He said that he has reached out to the company - who “responded positively” - and is set to meet with representatives in the New Year.
He said: “They will be serving lots of people and creating lots of jobs so we just have to try and address issues with the location.”
Coun Stables said that she had received “over 200 emails” from residents about the application that were “almost exactly evenly split”.
She said she was concerned about the plans being against the site allocation plan and the traffic issues but added: “On the other hand the other two supermarkets in the town are overtrading significantly so there’s room for another and I think there’s a lot of demand for it.”
Representing a multi-million-pound investment, the development will provide a boost to the local economy by creating up to 40 new jobs.
The plans will also deliver an 84-bed care home and eight senior living eco-homes for the over 55s, provided by Springfield Healthcare. Also featured are four individually designed gardens for residents to use with a variety of care needs.
Liam Schofield, Lidl GB’s Regional Head of Property, said: “We’re thrilled to have secured planning approval from the Planning Inspectorate for our first store here in Wetherby.
“Over the past couple of years, our dedicated property team has worked tirelessly to make this happen, and we are incredibly grateful to the local community for their unwavering support. From the very beginning, our aim has been to ensure that residents have convenient access to our affordable produce, and we’re excited to keep the community updated as we move forward with our plans.”
Graeme Lee of Springfield Healthcare added: “It’s terrific to receive planning permission for our innovative and exemplar care development in Wetherby.
“We’re sure it will have a tremendous impact within the community and will play a vital role in meeting the increasing local need for high quality care provision.”