Supermarkets object to Lidl's plan for Hereford hotel

A plan to replace an old hotel with a Lidl has prompted concern it will cause city centre store closures.

Under proposals, Hereford's Three Counties Hotel would make way for the supermarket chain which also intends 182 parking spaces and access from the A465 Belmont Road.

But supermarket Waitrose said it would draw trade away from "underperforming" food stores in the city centre.

Lidl said its proposed store would "greatly benefit" the community.

"As the cost-of-living crisis deepens, providing local residents in and around Hereford with increased choice is more important now than ever before," the spokesperson added.

Lidl also said the proposal would provide jobs "amongst the highest paid in the industry".

A council decision on the plan - which also includes a drive-through coffee shop - is due before Christmas.

A study by Nexus Planning earlier this year found that all the city centre's food retailers - including Waitrose at the Old Market which opened in 2014 - were "under-trading, in most cases quite significantly, against company average levels".

Herefordshire Council's retail consultant, JWPlanning, said the Lidl plan would "likely erode the role of convenience trading in the city centre and risk further food store closures".

Asda has objected to the proposed access off the A465, claiming that "insufficient information has been submitted to allow the council to arrive at a sound decision on the impact of the development proposals".

Tesco said the 75-page analysis submitted by Lidl's agent CarneySweeney, which considered alternative locations for the store, was "not fit for purpose" for numerous reasons, and also criticised the assessment of the proposal's impact on other stores, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"No evidence has been provided to demonstrate why [the hotel] is no longer required, viable or fit for purpose," Tesco said.

There have also been more than 200 objections locally, along with 16 letters of support.

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