Lidl asked to rework Walsall plans to get permission for new store

The proposed supermarket would be built on the site of a former bingo hall.

Discount supermarket chain Lidl has been told to rework its plans in order to get permission for a new store in Walsall.

The company's bid to take over a former bingo hall in Park Lane, Darlaston, raised concerns over highway safety.

Walsall councillors decided to postpone making a final decision on the plans and urged the company to resolve the issues.

Representatives for Lidl said the new store would benefit the area.

The main concerns centred on the firm's plan to create an access road to the store off Park Lane, issues over parking and the loss of trees on the site.

Lidl strongly disputed the reasons but, despite the company's insistence on the access road, councillors urged them to rethink or face having the proposal thrown out in future.

"The applicant and the authority aren't far away in resolving this," councillor Suky Samra said at the planning committee meeting on Monday.

He added "there is a compromise to be had".

The new shop would make use of a vacant site, create jobs and provide a discount store for residents, said Daniel Wheelwright from Rapleys, which provided Lidl with planning consultancy services.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.