Up to 40 news jobs could be created in Verwood if a new proposal to open a Lidl supermarket gets the go-ahead.
The store would be built on Ringwood Road opposite the petrol station, in place of a current caravan store and two residential properties – a total area of 1.6 acres.
A car park would provide 90 free bays of which 6 will be disabled spaces and 6 will be parent and child spaces at the front of the property, with the store at the back. Customer cycle parking will be provided to encourage shoppers to visit the store by bicycle.
Verwood currently only has one supermarket, operated by Morrisons, and two smaller food shops provided by Tesco and Co-op.
Lidl is proposing a new neighbourhood foodstore with 1,175² sales area, which would have 2,000 core products and “only 2 or 3 deliveries a day to a recessed loading bay on the side of the building. The existing access to the caravan storage site will be adjusted slightly and moved 6m to the west of the existing access. The accesses to the residential properties will be closed to leave one vehicular access point. Pedestrian and cycle access will also be directly from Ringwood Road.
A public consultation event is taking place to allow local residents and other interested parties the opportunity to view the proposed plans, voice their opinion and offer suggestions and feedback on any aspect of the application. Members of Lidl’s Development Team will be on hand to answer any queries.
It’s happening at St Michaels Parish Centre, 34 Manor Road in Verwood on 12th June from 3pm till 7pm.
Lidl UK’s Regional Head of Property, James Mitchell, told VerwoodToday: “We are extremely excited about the prospect of opening a Lidl in Verwood and serving our fresh, quality and incredibly good value produce which shoppers across the country have come to love. We look forward to welcoming anyone along to the public consultation day and showcasing our plans whilst answering any questions.”
Lidl’s closest stores to Verwood are Ferndown and Ringwood, with around 760 locations around the UK, and over 10,000 worldwide.