A TOWN council has expressed strong objections to plans for a new Lidl store – despite more than 80 per cent of those who took part in a recent engagement exercise run by the supermarket giant saying they back the bid.

Councillor Julian Utting told Ross Town Council’s planning and development sub-committee the planned supermarket on unused green fields near St Mary’s Garden Village and the Over Ross roundabout would create a ‘significant increase’ in traffic, with a possible extra 2,500 car journeys a day created by shoppers.

Under an application received by Herefordshire council, a 12,000 sq ft store would be built near the A40 junction off Starling Road if planners decide to give it the green light.

A total of 113 parking spaces are also included in the outline plans.

In 2019, the retailer put forward proposals for a larger store around half a mile away at Wolf Business Park, which was turned down by the committee against the recommendation of the councils’planning officers, due to concerns over the impact on town centre trade.

Councillors also felt the application flew in the face of the Ross-on-Wye Neighbourhood Development Plan Policy E2, which states that edge-of-centre and out-of-centre retail development will normally be resisted.

Town councillors also expressed concerns over the loss of land for housing.

Cllr Linden Delves said he feared the supermarket could ‘suck huge amounts of money’ out of the town centre with a retail impact assessment produced by Lidl suggesting a potential reduction in turnover of up to 16 per cent for town centre businesses

Speaking earlier this year, Lidl’s regional head of property Rhydian Griffiths said: “This is an important step to delivering our first ever store for Ross-on-Wye, and we encourage residents to share their views throughout the planning process to help secure the store they need.”