Heron defends Leeds food store plans

At a council planning meeting earlier this week, Heron Foods said its proposals to redevelop the former working men’s club site would create ten local jobs and bring much-needed facilities to the community.

Councillors decided to defer and delegate the decision and requested improvements to delivery times.

If approved, work would begin immediately on the site with a view to opening at the end of the year.

However, the proposals have met with criticism from some quarters. Two of the area’s existing retailers, Costcutter and Freshways have opposed the development due to parking issues and the impact it would have on their trade.

Costcutter director Tim Bhullar said the arrival of Heron Foods could potentially lead to traffic problems and accidents.

He added: “We have been on the site for over 12 years. Lincoln Green shopping centre provides a great service to the local community and another supermarket is not going to serve any other purpose than what we already provide.”

Heron foods has denied that the development will have any negative impact on traffic and added that the development would be served by 15 on-site parking spaces.

Despite the opposition, councillors were generally supportive of the plans, though there were concerns about how delivery times and noise would affect the local area.