COUNCILLORS have called on Lidl to move the ‘chaotic’ access junction into their proposed new store back to the roundabout where it used to be.
Members made the comments at an Evesham Town Council Planning Committee meeting on Monday (August 22) where, despite their concerns, they approved the supermarket giant’s plans to demolish and then rebuild a bigger store on Broadway Road.
Planners have urged Lidl bosses to return the access junction onto their site back to the roundabout as it was before the current store was opened in 2010- with one councillor saying there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be included in their plans for the new store.
Speaking at the meeting, Coun Alan Booth said the issues with traffic and the access to the site need to be sorted out before the new one is built.
“I don’t have a problem with the building of a new Lidl,” he said.
“The only thing I do have a problem with is the chaotic access.
“I don’t think any of us are objecting to the building at all, but this road has just got to be sorted out before anything is done.”
Coun Mark Goodge also questioned why, with the proposed layout of the new store, that the junction couldn’t be moved back to the roundabout.
“With the current store they had to move the access because, with the current layout of the site, it would simply be impossible to keep the access off the junction as the only place where the existing building can go is where it is and that blocks off where the old access was,” he said.
“If they’re now planning to enlarge the site and turn the building by 90 degrees then there’s no reason at all why they physically can’t go back to having it on the roundabout.”
However despite councillors’ concerns, in a traffic statement as part of their planning application, Lidl have said a review of the junction onto the site isn’t needed.
“It is not considered necessary to undertake any junction assessment in the vicinity of the site as the estimated increase in traffic as a result of the replacement store is minimal and within daily variations in flows on the highway network.”
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