Lidl delighted at Shrewsbury store approval
Budget supermarket chain Lidl has said it "could not be more delighted" at the green light for a new store and wants to start work as soon as possible.
After months of back and forth with Shropshire Council's planning committee, the application, which will see a Lidl store built on land at Shrewsbury Town Football Club's Greenhous Meadow, was finally approved on Thursday.
Speaking after the confirmation, Stuart Jardine, Lidl UK's regional head of property said they were thrilled to be at a stage where the store can now proceed.
He said: "We could not be more delighted to have received planning permission, and look forward to getting started on construction.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the local community for their continued support, and very much look forward to opening our doors and offering our fresh, quality, great value products in the not too distant future."
The new store is expected to create around 40 jobs.
The planning agreement also includes an arrangement to create a community football pitch at the rear of the stadium.
The pitch, which will be managed by the football club's charity, Shrewsbury Town in the Community, will be built on the club's training pitch.
When compete the club will move its training to a new dedicated training ground at Sundorne Castle.
As part of the planning agreement for the Lidl store the company must build a new bus stop on Oteley Road.
The application has endured a protracted journey through the planning process, and at one point attracted the opposition of rival supermarket Waitrose.
The approval casts further doubt on whether the supermarket company will go-ahead with plans to build a Waitrose store on Oteley Road, close to the nearby Wyevale Percy Thrower garden centre.
During the consultation period on the Lidl store, Ken Harrison, acquisitions and development manager at Waitrose, wrote to Shropshire Council to register the firm's opposition to the plans.
He said: "I am still unable to say when the new store will be built, or indeed whether we would want to vary the application to improve its viability, but what is certain is that if the council approve the Lidl planning application, as a result of the impact it will have on our trade, it will seriously jeopardise the chances of this store happening."
Brian Caldwell, chief executive of Shrewsbury Town has said that some work on the new Lidl could begin as early as next month.
He said: "Lidl are hoping to start initial works by the end of May. They are keen to get started as soon as possible.
"There are some works around the gates so it is important that during the close season we get any work we can done to minimise the effect on football matches."
