'Ugly' Lidl store gets award for bad architecture

The supermarket opened in March 2023

A supermarket and a building extension are the "ugliest" new buildings in a town, a civic society has said.

Cheltenham's Cirencester Road Lidl and the Dowty House extension were the unlucky recipients of awards in the Cheltenham Civic Society Awards' new "UnCivic" on Tuesday.

It came after the public were invited to nominate what they considered to be the worst new buildings.

Seven other buildings won awards celebrating their good design.

The BBC has approached Lidl for comment.

The extension of Dowty House was singled out by members of the public

The civic society organises the biennial awards in conjunction with Cheltenham Borough Council to celebrate buildings and places that represent the best recent examples of good architecture and design.

The new category was introduced because some "shockingly bad designs still manage to slip through the planning process", the council said.

Judges said the Charlton King's Lidl was "an example of where a much-needed local supermarket amenity could have done so much more for the local architectural landscape if it were more motivated by community and less by the need to shout about its brand".

"The massive brick façade extensions and tower serve only one purpose – to accommodate highly-lit and intrusive signage in relation to everything that surrounds it, destroying a gateway to the town in the process," they added.

Meanwhile, the Dowty House's extension in Monson Avenue was said to "fail on every possible count".

"It is neither in keeping with the original building, nor does it represent contemporary architecture that could juxtapose with the original to bring positive attention to both," judges said.

The extension, made of "austere brick", was accused of blighting the nearby "scrappy Black & White car park" with its "mass and inappropriateness".

“The design seems to make no reference at all to the Victorian gothic Dowty House nor to the pleasant Edwardian houses opposite," they added.

Abbeyholme Stables in Lansdown Crescent Lane was praised for being "smart and well balanced"

Several buildings across Cheltenham were celebrated according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Yard in Upper Park Street and Dolder House in Painswick Road were both winners of the new build category.

54 Tivoli Street, Abbeyholme Stables in Lansdown Crescent Lane and St Phillip and St James’ Church won the award in the renovation and refurbishment category.

The reinstatement of the railings at Imperial Gardens was the sole winner of the environmental scheme award.