Lidl gets go-ahead to demolish homes and expand its car park

Lidl has bought homes next to its store at Kingsway in Ossett and has been granted planning permission from Wakefield Council to demolish them and create a further 47 parking spaces.

A spokeswoman said the expansion was needed to accommodate a rise in customer numbers.

But the plans, which were approved at a planning committee meeting yesterday, have left the community divided.

David Ross, 73, launched a petition against the proposal, which was signed by 284 people.

He said: “We don’t want them pulling down houses in a conservation area. It’s absolutely atrocious.

“We think as soon as planning is passed for a car park, there will be an application put in for an extension to the store. They are encroaching into the residential area.”

Wakefield Council gave the go-ahead despite receiving 11 letters of objection to the application including one from Ossett UKIP councillor Nick Farmer.

A report to the planning committee said: “Councillor Farmer stated he objected to the application on the grounds of unnecessary demolition of good quality housing stock within the conservation area, the encroachment of commercial use into residential areas and the disturbance of residents via extra noise brought about by the potential increase in traffic.”

Twenty-five people wrote letters in support of the planning application.

One said: “As a regular customer I can tell that as the store has got a lot busier in recent times the current car park is simply not big enough at times the car parking is chaotic with cars spilling out on to the main road. Additional car parking spaces are desperately needed.”

Another added: “The store is a great asset to Ossett and a real treasure for those of us who like to mind our pennies.”

The budget supermarket chain now owns 17 and 19 Kingsway and 21 and 23 Wesley Street, and the car park would be expanded onto these sites.

A Lidl spokeswoman told the Express in February: “We have been open and honest about our ambitions to expand the store in the future, if the opportunity were to ever present itself.

“Currently, our only priority is to extend the existing carpark so that we can cater for our growing and incredibly valued customer base and ensure that parking spaces are available.

“The land purchased will enable us to do this.”