Hadleigh Society slams ‘unacceptable’ errors in plans for new Lidl supermarket in town

Plans for a new supermarket in Hadleigh have been slammed for containing ‘unacceptable errors and misinformation’ – including mistaking the town for other locations around the country.

The Hadleigh Society – the town’s preeminent civic group – has called on Babergh District Council to reject a proposal by Lidl, to build a new store on land off Lady Lane.

A planning application was submitted in November, with the public consultation period continuing until next Wednesday, before a formal decision is made in the early part of this year.

The proposed development, if approved, would include a store of almost 2,000 square metres – encompassing retail, warehouse and ancillary floorspace – as well as a 114-bay car park.

In a supporting statement, Lidl said the new shop would create about 40 new jobs, and yield ‘significant economic benefits’ to aid in the area’s ongoing recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the Hadleigh Society strongly objected to the plans – highlighting issues with the design, safety fears over the site access, and concerns about the impact on the landscape and biodiversity.

The group accused Lidl of showing ‘complete disregard for the community’s planning policies’, as set out in the emerging Hadleigh Neighbourhood Plan.

It also cited major errors in the planning documents, which erroneously referred to the West Midlands town of Halesowen, and transport links between Halton Moor and Pudsey in Yorkshire.

Richard Fletcher, chairman of the Hadleigh Society and a retired town planner, said: “It is extremely disappointing that the submissions made on behalf of Lidl are so deficient.

“The scheme lacks the environmental, landscaping and quality design one would have expected from a leading retailer, for its location in an important historic market town.”

On Babergh’s online planning portal, the Lidl application has received a mixed response from residents so far – although the majority of comments have voiced their opposition.

A recurring theme was concerns about the increased traffic volume from the store, in addition to the lack of footpath or cycleway links creating access issues for pedestrians and cyclists.

But, several respondents have expressed support for the supermarket, arguing that it would be beneficial to Hadleigh, to serve the recent influx of new homes.