New Hucknall Lidl still waiting to get green light

Ashfield District Council’s planning committee originally approved the German retail chain’s plans in principal back on March 17.

But work needed to be done behind the scenes on the amount Lidl would contribute (a section 106 agreement) to town improvements and tackling increasedtraffic.

Now, almost five months on, there could be light at the end of the tunnel.

A council spokesman said: “We are waiting for Lidl to come back in the agreement and there will be no planning approval until it is signed.

"We think it's due in the next few weeks but we'll have to see.”

The main causes for the short delay in giving the project the green light was around the conditions imposed by the planning committee back in March.

Julie White, a planning consultant who worked on the plans, said: “We’re still just ironing out the legal details associated with the planning permission and we’re just waiting for those to be agreed.

"We’re very confident it will go ahead, Lidl definitely wants to move on to the site as soon as possible.”

Coun Lee Waters (Ash Ind), who represents Hucknall North on the district council and Hucknall South on Nottinghamshire County Council, added: “Residents are getting in touch asking for an update on our new Lidl store but the ball is very much in Lidl’s hands.

"As an authority we’ve done our bit and are keen that Lidl now sign on the dotted line.

"There have been questions about the access road into the store and I am confident that this has been resolved.

"I look forward to significant progress in the next few weeks and updating Hucknall residents accordingly.”

Residents have been largely in favour of the store being built.

And the new store getting the green light will also pave the way for Hucknall Town to move to a new ground across the road off Aerial Way.

The project will also create up to 40 new jobs in the town.