Big on congestion, Lidl on cycling: Plans for new supermarket on “death trap” road rejected due to fears extra traffic could compromise “abandoned” bike network

Plans to build a new Lidl supermarket in Bournemouth – next to a road described by locals as a “death trap” and where proposals to build a protected cycle lane continue to be delayed – have been rejected, after councillors claimed the scheme could “compromise” the area’s cycling and walking network by increasing congestion and parking issues.

The German discount retail chain, which sponsors the Lidl-Trek professional cycling teams, has proposed building a new shop at Westover Retail Park on Castle Lane West, north of the Dorset town and near its flagship Whitelegg Way protected cycle lane.

As part of its planning application, Lidl said it would demolish the existing retail park, currently host to Pets at Home, Pizza Hut, Cotswold, and Prama, and build a new supermarket in their place, about a mile away from the chain’s current shop on nearby Wimborne Road in Winton.

A report by Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council laid out a series of financial contributions Lidl would have to adhere to if granted planning permission, including £66,800 for sustainable travel measures, in order to mitigate the development’s impact on surrounding roads.

Lidl’s plans    

A public consultation on the application attracted “unprecedented public interest”, according to Lidl’s regional head of property, James Mitchell, with 86 per cent of the roughly 5,000 respondents in favour of the scheme.

“The volume of responses is clearly indicative of a local desire to see the scheme delivered, such that residents may shop quality produce at affordable prices,” Mitchell said in a statement this week.

Of the 12 per cent who opposed, however, objections were raised concerning the loss of existing shops and the potential increase in traffic on Castle Lane West, where local cyclists have told road.cc that they are “spat out” from a “nice” bike path and are forced to compete with motorists on large, busy roundabouts and on lanes often lined with parked cars.

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Plans for the creation of a 2.5km, two-way protected cycle lane on Castle Lane West, along with other improvements for pedestrians and bus passengers, were first mooted in 2022, with work expected at the time to begin in the spring of 2023.

However, that project was soon delayed and later slated to take place in “early 2024”, according to the council, though work is yet to take place.

A similar cycle lane scheme on nearby Wimborne Road in Kinson, which formed part of the proposals for Castle Lane West, was scrapped in July 2023 following a concerted campaign from Conservative councillors to oppose the project.

Lidl’s plans    

And it was this lack of safe, viable cycling infrastructure – and the potential harm posed to active travel by increased traffic volume – which partially influenced councillors to refuse Lidl’s new supermarket.

Despite BCP Council planning officer Steve Davies recommending to the local authority’s planning committee that Lidl’s application should be approved, on Thursday councillors rejected the proposals by five votes to three.

Based on advice from the local highway authority, the planning committee failed to rubber stamp Lidl’s plan due to concerns that the scheme “doesn’t contribute to” and could actively “compromise” the area’s cycling and walking network.

Meanwhile, additional concerns were raised about increased congestion, parking issues, and the potential impact on Lidl’s Winton branch (the footfall for which, Lidl said, would be unaffected due to the local student population).

> Plans for new Lidl store rejected because they fail to consider pedestrians and cyclists

“I cycle along that road, and it is a death trap,” Green Party councillor Joe Salmon said during Thursday’s meeting, during which he criticised delays and barriers to the town’s active travel projects, the Bournemouth Daily Echo reported.

“To abandon the very idea of getting a cycle lane there, and for what? To get a slightly bigger Lidl, closing down a slightly smaller one. It would do our communities absolutely no good.

“The proposed scheme would not only have made it impossible to address the problems with traffic congestion and parking in the area, but also made those problems worse.”

The current retail park on Castle Lane West

He continued: “Bournemouth is the third most congested place in the UK behind only Edinburgh and London. The stretches of Castle Lane West and Wimborne Road where there would be an increase in traffic flow have had 40+ accidents in the last five years, including more than 10 serious accidents. More traffic would clearly exacerbate these problems.

“This application was unpopular with local residents due to concerns over traffic congestion, loss of the existing popular shops, and potential harm to the local high streets in Moordown and Winton.

“We are already at risk of becoming ghost suburbs of a ghost town, given the state of Bournemouth town centre. Approving this application would have been the final death knell for our local high streets.

“This decision is a significant step forward in ensuring that the council’s planning policies are upheld and that development in the BCP area reflects the principles of sustainability and community-first decision-making.”

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This isn’t the first time in recent months that a major supermarket’s plans have clashed with active travel and cycling concerns.

In May, we reported that plans to build a new Aldi supermarket in Sheffield would involve ripping up hundreds of metres of one of the city’s few fully protected cycle lanes to make way for a slip road, reducing the infrastructure to a shared footway.

These proposals were branded “regressive” by local cyclists, who said the plans filled them “with horror” and left them worried for their safety.

However, Aldi responded to those concerns by claiming that the new site would “promote cycling” and “foster a vibrant and bike-friendly area”.