Iayor hails developers’ bid to open Lidl store

PLANS to open a second supermarket in an East Yorkshire town will benefit residents as they won’t have to drive miles to shop, the mayor has said.

Developers have submitted an outline planning application to East Riding Council to build houses on grassland next to the A1079 Giant Bradley Way, on the outskirts of Market Weighton, along with employment, commercial and other community floorspace.

In another field, off York Road, they have put in a separate application for full planning permission to build a Lidl food store.

Together the site, which is allocated in the Local Plan, totals 18 acres.

Mayor Peter Hemmerman said he believed town councillors would support the plans, although extra housing was “always controversial”. He said: “It’s chicken and egg – we want the retail estate and the supermarket but you have to have houses to get that.

“I think we were happy with the fact we are going to get another supermarket that would be a competitor to Tesco. A lot of people go to Beverley and Pocklington for shopping because they don’t want to go to Tesco. It will reduce traffic on the A1079 and local jobs are always important.

“I can only hazard a guess, but generally I think most of the councillors are in favour of anything that is going to benefit the town, and I think it will benefit the town.”

The store which would have a 1,900 sq m (20450 sq ft) gross internal area would create up to 40 jobs, and is part of Lidl’s £1.3bn expansion across the UK, according to documents submitted online.