Plans for a new Lidl continue to prompt objections

Lidl held a public consultation last July about its plans to open a store at Malin Bridge.

Planning officers say they are still considering the application but there have been more than 100 objections so far.

Local resident Matthew Barker says people are worried about gridlocked traffic, pollution and the impact on Hillsborough shopping precinct.

Lidl says it has amended its original plans to ease traffic flow and the new store will not have a significant impact on the road network.

But Mr Barker has a number of concerns. He said: “On busy days there is no space in the Malin Bridge gyratory and surrounding roads for a single additional car.

“The roads are gridlocked twice daily, and our public transport system offers no credible alternative to getting commuter traffic and routine journeys off the roads.

“Our children are walking to school in clouds of fumes, dodging heavy traffic and reckless drivers, particularly on rat run side roads.

“There is plenty of evidence on the impact of air pollution on child health and well-being. A new supermarket means more cars in the area, which means more harm to our kids.”

Mr Barker also says the Lidl will impact on local shops.

“Anything that siphons footfall away from the high street will harm local business, force more store closures and accelerate the demise of the shopping area.

“The negative impact on local business, employment and livelihoods will be far greater than any new jobs created by a supermarket.

“The last thing the local economy or environment needs is yet another identikit supermarket. The economic and social benefits of a thriving Hillsborough would far outweigh a single new Lidl. This application is the exact opposite of what our community needs.”

Lidl says it has taken on board comments raised by planning and highway officers and has amended the original application.

Graham Burr, Head of Property at the retailer, said: “This includes improvements designed to ease traffic flow in the area and changes to the site access from Stannington Road to provide an enhanced pedestrian crossing.

“The council’s highways team has reviewed the proposals and confirm that our new store will not have a significant impact on the local road network. This is because few people do their food shopping during the day-to-day peak times on the local highways network.

“We also firmly believe that our new store will help the local economy by creating around 40 new full and part-time local jobs and offering a more convenient choice for local residents, who would otherwise need to travel elsewhere in Sheffield to do their food shopping.

“The application will now be assessed by Sheffield Council and we look forward to receiving a decision in due course.”

The application can be viewed here:

https://planningapps.sheffield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=PC5T9LNYJ9900&documentOrdering.orderBy=date&documentOrdering.orderDirection=ascending