A number of objections have been made by local residents against plans to build a Lidl store on the site of the Three Counties Hotel on Belmont Road in Hereford.
The plans, revealed last week, detail that Lidl wishes to demolish the hotel and build a superstore on the site. Around 40 full time jobs would be created and the site would have around 100 car parking spaces. Many local residents are concerned about congestion on the A465 (Belmont Road), with the road already being congested throughout the day, with people using it as a route to access the city centre, as well as supermarkets such as Asda and Tesco and also the popular McDonald’s Drive Thru.
One local resident said:
“Hereford’s road infrastructure is already under great strain as it is – adding a supermarket within short distance of other supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda and a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s will only cause further volumes of traffic, congestion and incidents on an already problematic road.
“It can take 45 minutes, or even up to an hour some mornings just to get north of the river.”
Plans for a new Lidl superstore and Drive Thru restaurant in Hereford have been officially submitted to Herefordshire Council.
The plans detail the possibility of building a Lidl superstore and Drive Thru restaurant on the land where the Three Counties Hotel currently is. The owners of the hotel told Your Herefordshire in March that they had no plans to sell. Companies like Lidl can apply for planning permission prior to negotiating terms with the land owners.
The planning application states the following:
“Hybrid application for demolition of existing hotel and associated structures and erection of Class E foodstore with associated access, parking, servicing, drainage and landscaping (full permission sought) and erection of drive-thru unit with associated internal access and circulation (outline permission sought).”
The store would have approximately 100 parking spaces and 40 full time employees. Lidl would like the store to operate between the hours of 8am-10pm Monday to Saturday and 10am-4pm on a Sunday.
Concerns have been raised on social media surrounding access to the site, with the A465 (Belmont Road) already heavily congested, with Asda, McDonald’s and Tesco attracting huge numbers of traffic and the road being one of the main access routes into the city centre.
More details can be found on the Herefordshire Council website by searching planning reference number – P221090/O
Lidl representatives will spend a day at the Three Counties Hotel, to discuss the companies plans to build a supermarket on the site that is currently occupied by the hotel on Belmont Road in Hereford.
A number of local residents have shared their concerns about plans for a new superstore on the A465 (Belmont Road), due to existing traffic issues. Many are also against the idea of demolishing the hotel which is popular for weddings and conference events. However, some are supportive, due to the prospects of up to 40 full time jobs being created.
Your Herefordshire understands that representatives from Lidl are expected to spend the afternoon at the Three Counties Hotel on Wednesday 11th May. They will discuss any concerns members of the public have and residents will be able to view the plans in full.
Lidl’s intention to build a store at the Three Counties Hotel site was revealed by Your Herefordshire last week, when a planning application was officially submitted and published on the Herefordshire Council planning website.
