Former Great Yarmouth school demolished for Lidl supermarket build

Demolition contractors have flattened the former Trafalgar College on Thamesfield Way ahead of a new Lidl supermarket being built

A former school has been demolished to allow a supermarket to be built.

Lidl acquired the vacant Trafalgar College in Great Yarmouth - a free school set up by the Inspiration Trust in 2016 which closed two years later.

The supermarket chain applied for planning permission to redevelop the site, claiming its existing store on Pasteur Road was not fit for purpose.

Once built it will offer 1,411 sq m (4,424 sq ft) of retail space with 136 car parking spaces.

In planning documents, the company's agent said: "The existing Lidl store is a first-generation Lidl store, which falls behind the latest operational requirements.

"Given the surrounding built environment, it cannot be extended and/or modernised to provide the current full offer provided by Lidl.

"In the event that the proposed development is approved and fully constructed, Lidl's existing operation at Pasteur Road will be closed and the store will be marketed for alternative uses."

Not competing

Tesco, which has a store less than half a mile away, objected to the plan, accusing the council of failing to understand the sequential test required on building out-of-town retail stores.

It also said the change of use removed the potential employment opportunities on the site which had been designated as industrial land.

Lidl said it would not compete directly with other retailers as it would not offer several services including pharmacy, café/restaurant, hot food counter, deliveries or click and collect.

Great Yarmouth Borough Council approved the development in September 2023.

Trafalgar College closed in 2018 when it merged with Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, which is also operated by the Inspiration Trust.

The premises had previously been used by French oil firm Perenco as an office complex with associated warehousing and yard.