Lidl Linthorpe supermarket plan rejected by Middlesbrough Council

The proposed supermarket would have created up to 40 jobs, Lidl said

Plans for a Lidl supermarket on the site of a "little oasis" on Teesside have been rejected by councillors.

The retail chain applied to build a store in the Linthorpe area of Middlesbrough but came under fire from campaigners after chopping down a number of trees two years ago.

Councillors unanimously turned down the proposal over concerns about road safety, layout and visual impact.

Lidl said it had worked hard to address any worries.

The store would have been built on the site of the former Cleveland College of Art and Design on Green Lane.

'Leafy Linthorpe'

At a meeting of the council's planning committee, local resident and former councillor Jackie Elder said people did not want to see the area "desecrated by these people trying to commercialise it".

"We are the local people in a conservation area and we cannot even chop a branch of a tree in our gardens without planning permission.

"They chopped down 19 trees, which were actually mature and the habitats of bats and very rare butterflies dedicated by than no greater person than David Bellamy himself.

"This was a little oasis in Middlesbrough. It is leafy Linthorpe and people saved up their money for years and years to come and live in this respectable, residential and conservation area."

When trees were cut down in 2021, protesters said natural habitats for a range of wildlife had been lost

Another resident warned traffic in the area was already "an absolute hazard" and branded Lidl's proposal to close nearby Thackeray Grove "absolute lunacy".

'Improved application'

In an effort to alleviate concerns, Lidl said it had put forward new crossing points over Green Lane and Roman Road as well as tree planting.

An agent for the firm told the meeting: "In terms of design, we have provided direct pedestrian routes - more clear safe routes.

"We have looked into materials of the building, we have looked at further trees, moved cycle parking to safer locations, widened the internal footpaths for pedestrians.

"There are plenty of things we have improved on over the course of the application."

It previously said no trees with a preservation order had been felled.

Some supporters of the scheme had said the store would be welcomed due to the provision of "high-quality, low-cost products" and the creation of up to 40 jobs, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.