Supermarket appeal new plans thrown out by council

Lidl UK has expressed its disappointment following a decision by Ashfield District Council to turn down plans for a new store in Sutton.

The company has now said they are going to appeal the council's decision.

The £5 million proposals, with an additional £90,000 to be spent on local road improvements, which were originally submitted in May 2017, would have seen the former Pretty Polly factory site on Mansfield Road transformed into a new 1,325 sqm Lidl supermarket.

However, the application was refused by council officers without being taken to Planning Committee.

Jo Hawley, Head of Property at Lidl UK, said: “We are very keen to bring our other three sites in Ashfield Council’s patch forward but we are disappointed in the Sutton, Mansfield Road refusal and we will be appealing the decision. That said, we do have a meeting arranged with the council’s Chief Exec and I hope to find a positive way forward.

“The decision to refuse the application was also disappointing in the manner it was taken. With such a high level of public interest - there were 175 expressions of support including 75 letters, emails and comments actually sent to the council - we would have expected the application to have been decided by the planning committee and not simply dismissed by council officers on their own.

“This development represents a multi-million pound investment in the town and would help to bring a prominent yet disused site back into commercial use. It would also create up to 40 new full and part-time employment opportunities, provide more choice and give those living nearby a more convenient place to do their shopping.”

A spokesman from the council said: "Ashfield District Council has worked with partners to deliver great projects such as the £1.8m Idlewells Market refurbishment and the Shop Front Improvement Grants to revitalise Ashfield’s town centres.

"The council is concerned about the impact of this type of out-of-town proposal and its potential to undermine our vision for town centres, particularly Sutton.

"If approved, the store would have been likely to result in less trips to the town centre due to its proposed location being less accessible to town centre shoppers, encouraging more trips by car.

"The council is happy to work with Lidl in the future to secure appropriate town centre sites."