Proposals for a Lidl store off Manston Road in Ramsgate will be discussed by Thanet council’s planning committee next week.
The application, which attracted three letters of objection and 295 letters of support, is planned for land at the rear of Tesco and between The Beacon mental health centre and Manston Road.
Lidl says the proposal will create around 40 jobs, full and part time, with hourly rates starting at £13.45.
Plans for the site include a store with 1,516 sq m sales area, bakery and toilets/baby changing facilities.
Some 122 parking spaces are proposed including six accessible, nine parent and child and two electric charging points. Landscaping is also planned and a new bus stop is indicated close to the store entrance.
There will also be solar panels on the roof.
Objections included concerns over pedestrian and highway safety, impact on viability of Ramsgate town centre and that the site is allocated for housing.
Reasons for support included having a retail unit close to Cliffsend, that with current developments the site is not needed for housing, better services for the local community, provision of employment and providing a better choice of supermarkets.
Permission had previously been granted in 2021 for 48 homes within the area but Lidl has confirmed that it now owns the site, and “it will never be brought forward for residential development under current ownership, even if this planning application were to fail.”
A report to councillors says: “This raises serious doubts on the availability of the site as a suitable housing site, as it can no longer be considered to be a realistic prospect for housing to be delivered on the site within five years, and if the site is no longer deliverable for housing it cannot realistically be included within the Council’s 5 year land supply.”
The discount supermarket says town sites considered, the former Wilko and Staffordshire Street car park, were not suitable.
An objection letter has been received from Tesco, which has a store opposite the site, and Waitrose in the town centre.
Tesco says the impact on smaller businesses has been underestimated, and the impact on comparison goods downplayed through the use of outdated evidence. Waitrose has raised four objections including the absence of a town centre health check; the absence of a clearly defined catchment area for the proposed development; concerns regarding the robustness of the patterns of trade diversion to the proposed development; and the outdated view that Limited Assortment Discount (LAD) retailers solely compete with other LAD retailers.
Lidl says Waitrose is at the higher end of the market, and therefore the assessment assumes no trade diversion from Waitrose.
A Lidl statement confirms that it expects the proposed store will take the largest share of its turnover (£3.7m) from the Aldi on Boundary Road, since that is the closest store and a direct competitor of Lidl.
A report to councillors says: “Overall, the harm to housing supply is given moderate weight, but moderate weight is also applied to the economic and social benefits of the proposed retail use, for which no alternative site is identified.
When considering the plan as a whole, along with the large number of public consultation responses received supporting the application, and the availability of the site for housing, the proposed retail development is considered to be, on balance, an acceptable departure to Policy HO1 of the Thanet Local Plan.”
Councillors are recommended to defer the application to officers for approval subject to safeguarding conditions and a legal agreement securing a reptile mitigation financial contribution.
The application has been called in by councillors David Green and Helen Crittenden for “members to consider the benefits of access to retail facilities in the area given the housing growth in the surrounding area, in relation to the benefits of developing the site for housing under its housing designation.”
Adam Forsdick, Regional Head of Property at Lidl GB, said: “A Lidl store on this site is supported by the community and residents welcome increased shopping choice and the creation of new local jobs. We are pleased that the application is recommended for approval and we hope that the Planning Committee will listen to the community and grant planning permission for this overwhelmingly supported proposal.”
The first Lidl GB store opened its doors in 1994 and 30 years later there are more than 980 stores and 14 regional distribution centres across Britain, employing over 34,000 people.
The application will be brought to the planning committee on April 22.
What I find interesting, is the proposed location of the electric car charging points. Located by the main entrance to the carpark and at the furthest point away from the supermarket building. Previously, these would have been next to the building structure, in most other planning applications. I wonder has it anything to do with a risk assessment conclusion of the risk of fire while charging car batteries, with the mitigation of making space between the store and charging area?
You would think they would also install more than just 2 electric charging ports… futureproof the parking lot.
WOULD HAVE BEEN A LAUGH IF IT WAS A SAINSBURYS STORE-NEXT TO TESCO.
Tesco says the impact on smaller businesses has been underestimated, and the impact on comparison goods downplayed through the use of outdated evidence. Waitrose has raised four objections including the absence of a town centre health check; the absence of a clearly defined catchment area for the proposed development; concerns regarding the robustness of the patterns of trade diversion to the proposed development; and the outdated view that Limited Assortment Discount (LAD) retailers solely compete with other LAD retailers.
Ah yes-Tesco & Waitrose sticking up for the mom & pop stores again-nothing to do with potentially denting their profits? This is of course the Tesco that wanted to build a giant store at Arlington Arcade, to mirror the one at Westwood Cross, while opening a small one just down the road, along with the one in Cliftonville. Having said that unless I have hallucinated it Lidl already has a store just round the corner from Westwood Cross-why do they need another one so close? The again why does Weswood Cross need so many junk food outlets on top of each other & coffee shops/bakeries? One now opened directly opposite another one?
A Tesco at Arlington Arcade would’ve greatly eased traffic, as currently many people in Margate/Westgate/Birchington drive to WC. As for the accusations at the time that it would ruin Margate High Street, have you been there lately? It doesn’t even have a greengrocers (20 years ago it had two).
I wouldn’t have minded a big Tesco there either & get rid of the useless one in Cliftonville instead & not have the one at Westbrook-that way there are no monopoly issues.
Margate High Street has been totally abandoned for a long time-until last year there were two stationers & now none, yet walk around the corner to where Lloyds used to be & that little block has multiple cafes come bakeries on top of each other-just like at Westwood-more insanity
I think Mrs Ben Dover it’s because people in Thanet are unhealthy and need a lot of cheap easy accessible food! Please will someone think of the children
It is possible to buy lots of healthy food in large supermarkets. Morrisons in Margate even has a fishmongers.
Well that’s not healthy! Unless you want your body riddled with heavy metals and dioxines
Oh and did people really go to the moon?
I have fish at least 3 times a week, and I’m fit and healthy at enough at 63 to do energetic 25+ mile cycle rides (and may well be doing that today).
Oh, supermarkets also sell fresh fruit and vegetables.
Labour seem to think about children too much!