Plans for a new Lidl foodstore in Derbyshire town move a step closer

NE Derbyshire District Council’s planning committee voted by a majority to grant planning permission for developers Morbaine Ltd to demolish existing buildings at the former Trent Titanium site, off Wreakes Lane, in Dronfield, and build a new Lidl foodstore with car parking.

But the planning committee stressed permission will be subject to the developers considering that a proposed, new pedestrian crossing near the site on Wreakes Lane should be a more expensive puffin or pelican crossing with traffic lights.

Morbaine plans to build a 1,895 square metre Lidl store on 0.97 hectares of land at the former Trent Titanium site off Wreakes Lane, near Dronfield town centre, along with 100 car parking spaces.

Dronfield Town Council submitted an objection about increasing traffic problems by building another foodstore on the same road as the nearby Sainsbury’s store on Wreakes Lane and possibly creating logistical and environmental issues for residents.

But Derbyshire County Council’s highways authority confirmed it does not consider that the Lidl development would lead to a severe or unacceptable highway impact after it felt the relevant junctions could cope with the traffic capacity and it was given assurances about clearer vehicular visibility at the site entrance and car parking capacity.

Despite a Sainsbury’s store and an Aldi store in Dronfield, Lidl stated the council’s Retail and Centres Study of April 2018 identified that grocery provision in Dronfield trades well above anticipated levels and there is therefore capacity to support additional floorspace.