New discount Shrewsbury supermarket plans submitted - along with drive-thru and houses
Plans for a new discount Shrewsbury supermarket have been formally submitted - along with proposals for a drive-thru, a shop unit, and houses.
Lidl UK has officially requested planning permission from Shropshire Council for the development off Welshpool Road in Bicton Heath.
The application seeks consent for a new Lidl supermarket, along with a retail unit and drive-thru, and 11 houses.
The site sits to the north of Welshpool Road, and across Little Oxon Lane from the Bicton Heath's existing shopping complex, which includes Co-op.
A document outlining the plans explains that there would be two entrances from Little Oxon Lane for traffic for both the Lidl and the drive-thru, while a separate access would be created for the housing off Welshpool Road.
A number of issues were raised by Shropshire Council in pre-submission discussions, including the potential scale of the retail units, despite the area being earmarked for mixed-use development in Shrewsbury's Western Sustainable Urban Extension.
Council officers are also understood to have highlighted potential issues with the visual impact of the development, and the need for co-ordinated highways access.
The details of the application explain that the food store, which will be based in the south west of the site, will cover 2,185 square metres - 1,516 of which will be the sales area.
The design and access statement suggests the supermarket will employ 40 people in store.
The plan shows there will be a total of 104 car parking spaces comprising 87 ‘standard’ parking spaces, six accessible parking bays, nine parent & child spaces, and two electric vehicle (‘EV’) bays.
The proposed separate retail unit will cover 782 square metres, while the drive-thru unit would cover 167 square metres.
A total of 42 parking spaces are planned for the retail unit, with five allocated for the drive-thru.
The homes plan is for 11 houses to the south-east of the site, with the houses varying from two-bed units up to four-bed units.
The application argues that the development is needed because of the lack of discount food stores in the area.
It states: "Currently, there are no discount retail facilities in the Bicton Heath area, and residents must undertake a significant car journey to a discount foodstore to the northeast and southeast of Shrewsbury.
"The introduction of a discounter in this location will greatly reduce travel times for local residents."
A decision on the proposal will be taken at a later date.
