Premises may go in retail giant expansion
A SUPERMARKET in Neath operated by a major brand could be set for expansion at the expense of a gym and popular discount shop.
A planning application has been made to Neath Port Talbot Council for the demolition of Poundstretcher and Vital Health & Fitness in Britton Ferry.
If approved, the two premises at Castle Retail Park would make way for a larger Lidl food store.
Lidl already trades on the site alongside Poundstretcher and Vital Health & Fitness. However, the developer – Carney Sweeney – said that the enlarged store would provide a more “fit-for-purpose” building to meet the store’s “current operational requirements”.
The total floorspace of the replacement building would be 2,298 square metres – a significant increase on the size of the current store, but a 186 square metre decrease on the size of the total commercial floorspace on site.
The total number of parking spaces on site would also reduce from 183 spaces to 151 spaces. If approved, the access to the site would remain as the existing one from School Road.
There has been little in the way of objections to the proposal.
However, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) was critical of the Flood Consequences Assessment that was initially produced as part of the application, saying that it “fails to demonstrate that the risks and consequences of flooding can be managed”.
It did welcome recommendations laid out in an ecological report that included the retention of a buffer zone along the Cryddan Brook due to the proximity of works to the watercourse.
Carney Sweeney noted NRW’S consultation response and said that it would provide an updated Flood Consequences Assessment.
The developer did concede that some areas of the proposed site are considered to be at risk of flooding without defences.
The main potential sources of flooding there are fluvial and tidal flooding from the River Neath.
Measures have also been proposed to curb the risk of flooding, like raising the finished floor level of the building and lowering the ground levels across the parking and landscaping areas.