Uttlesford District Council set to approve new Lidl store for Dunmow

Uttlesford District Council is set to approve plans for a new Lidl store in Great Dunmow.

The budget grocery chain has applied for planning permission to build at Foxtons Yard, off Stortford Road, currently the site of a fencing supplies business.

The proposal for the site is recommended for approval when the local authority’s planning committee meets on Wednesday (August 21).

If agreed, the new store would create 40 full-time equivalent jobs and will open 8am to 10pm Mondays to Saturdays and 10am to 6pm Sundays.

It will provide 119 car park spaces, including nine for parents with children, six for the disabled plus two electric vehicle charging points.

A report to the committee notes Martin Robeson Planning Practice has objected to the application on behalf of Tesco and there is also concern about the impact on “heritage assets”, including the gatehouse to Easton Lodge, Highwood Farmhouse and the Barn at Highwood Farm.

However, the report advises: “The principle of retail use is deemed acceptable to both local and national policies and guidance.

“It will deliver a high-quality scheme at a gateway location. The design has been carefully considered to mitigate the impacts of the proposal onto the heritage and nature designations, through the siting of the proposed building and increased tree planting within the site.

“Notwithstanding the proposed less than substantial harm to nearby heritage assets and objections from Great Dunmow Town Council, it is considered that the benefits of the proposed development – including the redevelopment of an existing employment site, increased shopping choice to meet the needs of local residents, creation of new jobs for local people, an enhancement to landscaping along Stortford Road and provision of enhancements to bus stop infrastructure – outweigh the harm.”