Lidl has re-submitted plans to demolish the Three Counties Hotel in Hereford.
The statement confirms plans to demolish the hotel:
“The purpose of this report is to support a full planning application for the demolition of an existing hotel and erection of a new foodstore (Class E) to be occupied by Lidl.
“The application follows the withdrawal of application 221090 for a similar, albeit larger development.”
The application site is on Belmont Road, Hereford, HR2 7BP. It is situated within the local authority area of Herefordshire Council, and it is currently occupied by the Three Counties Hotel, landscaped grounds and parking areas.
The application site measures 1.68ha approx.
The topography of the site is predominantly flat. The site fronts on to Belmont Road (the A465).
It is located within a mixed residential/commercial area of Hereford, approximately 1.8km to the south-west of the City Centre. Residential properties surround the site to the north, east and west.
The Three Counties Hotel site currently occupies asylum seekers through a scheme led by the Home Office.
A review of the site’s planning history records has been undertaken via Herefordshire Council’s planning website.
The record shows two planning permissions for extensions to the hotel, neither of which are directly relevant to the current development proposal, and the withdrawn application 221090 for a similar, albeit larger development to that now sought.
The plans consist of:
Demolition of the existing hotel and erection of a new foodstore (Class E) on the site to be occupied by Lidl. The store would have a floorspace of 1,984 sqm (GEA) excluding canopy (2,140 sqm including canopy) and a sales area of 1,251 sqm;
A car park of 118 spaces including 8no. disabled, 10no. parent & child, and 2no. electric charging bays;
Associated access improvements comprising:
Increase width of existing footways along the site frontage.
Increase width of footways to the west of the site, along the northern side of Belmont Road (A465) leading to Flaxley Drive.
A new 3.0m wide shared use cycleway/footway from the end of the existing shared use facility on Goodrich Grove along the southern side of Belmont Road (A465), leading to an upgraded pedestrian refuge island on Belmont Road.
Increase width of existing Belmont Road (A465) refuge island to 3m to facilitate shared use.
Increase width of footway along the northern side of Belmont Road (A465) from the proposed upgraded refuge to a dedicated 3.0m wide internal footway/cycleway which crosses the existing verge and leads directly to the store frontage and the cycle storage area.
The following trading and delivery hours are sought:
Monday-Saturday Trading 08:00-22:00 Deliveries 07:00-23:00
Sundays 10:00-16:00
Bank Holidays 08:00-22:00
The proposed Lidl store would be located in the north-east corner of the site with parking wrapping around the south and west elevations of the proposed store.
A 118-space car park is proposed which includes 10 parent & child spaces, 8 disabled spaces and 2 electric charging bays.
In terms of accessing the site, the existing site access from Belmont Road will be utilised and will act as the entry and exit for customers and servicing vehicles. Pedestrians will also access the site from Belmont Road (A465), both adjacent to the vehicular access and in the form of a 3m wide pedestrian/cycle link further east.
The proposed Lidl is expected to create around 40 full time jobs.
