Willow Brook shopping centre 'to get Lidl store'

A discount food store, rumoured to be Lid, has been given permission to move into the shopping centre

A discount food store will move into a shopping centre despite concerns over a loss of parking.

The retailer - rumoured to be Lidl - has been given permission to move into a unit at the Willow Brook Centre in Bradley Stoke, Bristol.

This is despite anchor store Tesco and a councillor objecting to the move over the potential loss of parking spaces.

A council report says the rise of online shopping means there are enough shops in the centre already.

The objections centre around the possible loss of 55 car parking spaces on top of the 80 that were lost with the recent opening of a McDonald's and a Starbucks.

'Almost impossible' to park

South Gloucestershire Council's development management committee was told there had been a drop in retail customers since the pandemic, and therefore a reduction in the number of parking spaces required.

Councillor Roger Avenin for Bradley Stoke South (Conservative) told the committee the loss of the parking spaces was a "considerable reduction" from what was originally envisaged, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Willow Brook Centre owners said the rise of online shopping meant there was enough spaces

He said: "Weekend car parking spaces are at a premium and at peak times of the year, such as Easter and Christmas, it's almost impossible to find a space.

"I've given up, turned around and gone to either Sainsbury's in Stoke Gifford or The Mall at Cribbs.

"We already have a massive supermarket - Tesco - we have Tesco Expresses in the north and south of the town, and in the north we also have Aldi."

But a report compiled by council planning officers said: "The store would undoubtedly make a positive contribution to the vitality and viability of the town centre.

"It would increase choice to the consumer and provide competition to the existing uses within the centre, all of which is in the public interest.

"On balance the scheme is not considered to give rise to unacceptable levels of traffic that would result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety.

"The scheme would retain appropriate levels of parking provision."