Lidl has submitted plans for a ‘high quality’ new store on the site of a Stockport industrial works. The budget supermarket giant confirmed it was drawing up proposals for Cheadle Heath Works last year, and has now lodged an application with the council.
The scheme involves knocking down existing buildings at the Stockport Road plot, which is currently home to a printing firm and a company that supplies windows. The discount retailer says these would be replaced by a new store boasting ‘a clean and contemporary design that will be complementary to the visual character of the surrounding area’.
“The building will be designed to a high standard using high quality contemporary materials,” papers add. It is described as ‘principally a single storey building’ which ‘is of contemporary design, and features a double height glazed elevation.
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The sales area would be 1,250 sq m, with a first floor welfare room based above the warehouse. Stockport Road is a key route for drivers making their way towards the M60 in both directions and concerns have already been raised over increased congestion on the busy stretch.
Lidl's plans include a new ‘ghost island’ on Stockport Road so vehicles can queue while waiting to turn into the site, ‘without obstructing the flow of traffic’. However, this will reduce the eastbound lanes - heading towards Stockport town centre and the motorway - down from two to one.
The entrance to the site would also be widened for HGVs, while new footpaths would be provided along both sides to encourage staff and customers to visit on foot or by bicycle. Meanwhile, the current pedestrian crossing and bus stop would be moved further from the entrance and a new footpath into the site provided closer to them.
The popular retailer says its plans are in accordance with national and local policies and there is no reason planning permission should not be granted by the council. “The proposal will provide a new discount foodstore for residents in the area,” planning papers add.
“[It] will improve customer choice and enhance the shopping experience for shoppers in Cheadle Heath, and will promote sustainable travel patterns."
Lidl says the proposed store would create the equivalent of 40 full time jobs in the area. “There will be a positive economic impact as a result of new employment and increased earnings in the local area,” papers add.
The new supermarket would be served by 100 new parking spaces, including disabled and parent and child bays. There would also be 12 cycle parking spaces and four electric vehicle charging points at the two-acre site.
It is proposed that the store would open between 7am and 11pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays.
Stockport council will decide whether to grant planning permission.
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