Leaflets outlining plans for a new Lidl store in Stone have started dropping through local letterboxes.
Lidl Great Britain is consulting residents on proposals for a new foodstore on greenfield land off Stafford Road, to the east of Aston Roundabout, between the A51 and A34.
The leaflet says the consultation is taking place before Lidl finalises and submits a planning application.
The proposed store would have a gross internal floor area of 2,184 square metres, with a sales area of 1,529 square metres.
Plans set out in the leaflet include a glazed frontage, landscaping, cycle parking, electric vehicle charging points and 130 car parking spaces. These would include accessible spaces and parent and child spaces.
Vehicle access would be taken from the A51 to the north of the site through a new access point. A separate pedestrian access point to the A51 would also be provided.
The leaflet says the proposed opening hours would be 8am to 10pm from Monday to Saturday, including bank holidays, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays.
Lidl says its stores typically receive a maximum of two deliveries per day, with store waste collected by the returning delivery vehicle.
The consultation material lists several proposed benefits, including new shopping choice, jobs during construction and once the store is open, a dedicated in store bakery, and pay above the Living Wage Foundation rate for eligible employees.
Residents are being asked to give feedback by completing the online survey https://forms.office.com/e/YdgKKPjvNV or by emailing lidlstone@rapleys.com.
Feedback is being accepted until 10 July, after which Lidl says it will review comments before submitting a planning application.
20 comments
AMP
Looks like people would like to have their opinion, however a massive ugly warehouse gives people jobs,
Two scenarios from this can be developed
First:
no supermarket – no jobs, no shopping, more cars on the road, and still dangerous traffic on A 51, some will be pleased with stagnation as is, some not.
Second: the supermarket will be on A51 x A34, additional jobs – it will take time to build, after that, some parts of Stone & Walton can decide where they would like to shop, road layout will be changed, traffic will be different if making additional access from A34, that should do.
Now – green belt, farmland
If there is a proposal to build something there by Lidl it only means that the person who owns the land received proposal first and is fully aware of the situation, you may say no but it is not your land never was, and you can’t afford to buy it – Lidl can.
When people only think about their own “wellbeing” it is done this way: I am not allowing others to develop anything on any land anywhere, because I said so, then later complaining that there is not enough infrastructure in the town, city whatever.
Think about the future of any people that are teenagers, in their 20’s or older, a town tidally locked to 3 shops, looking for jobs, food, retail shops, as there is not many here and with disapproval from the locals it will be hard to attract any businesses to come to Stone.
Sally Cartwright
Do we really need yet another supermarket?
We already have M&S, Morrisons, Aldi (very close by to this proposed site) as well as a new Co-op being developed next to Watsons Scrap Yard & smaller supermarket options at Walton. Why use any land currently being farmed, call it what you like, green belt or greenfield, it is still green!
The A51 approaching the island is a busy fast road, & this proposed entrance would be unsuitable for access by car or if you feel brave enough on foot. Cars entering or leaving could cause accidents or considerable congestion. Far better to improve the access to Morrisons on the ring road & encourage bakeries to return to the High Street after Greggs wiped them out & then closed their store! Would be better than multiple vape shops, barbers & nail bars!
The awful giant warehouse on the opposite side of the A34 at the island seemed to appear overnight with no consultation & now this.
Isn’t the river & canal also very close by…
HTC
What a great proposal. Will definitely meet the needs of the people of Stone for sure!
Aldi has always had a dangerous car park and this Lidl layout seems to be well thought out and spacious. The M&S is too small and Morrisons is stuck on that terrible one-way system with a tight car park!
On a busy road but I imagine that it’s been well thought out by Lidl and appropriate traffic measures will be put in place.
On a greenfield site but I struggle to see where else they could go, must be the best option I guess.
Can’t wait to have a great bakery option on the way home from work!
Michael & Hilary Dillon
This is a particularly dangerous proposition. The entrance would be on a very fast road A51, which is already prone to accidents on a regular basis.
Traffic coming from the A34 would invariably have to stop, turn right onto the site, in face of fast oncoming traffic.
Aston roundabout is already prone to severe congestion, particularly when there are roadworks or Motorway closure.
This site is totally unsuitable for the proposed development.
It also does not seem to be the best available spot to build a Supermarket for the convenience of the People of Stone, when it isn’t actually in Stone.
We feel there must be a better place, more appropriately,
not on a Greenfield site.
Christopher Waghorn
I have a total objection to any form of development on this piece of land. At present it represents the beginning of rural countryside on the edge of Little Stoke & Aston. Any development would see the eventual development of the triangle of the A34 A51 & Aston Bridge Lane. As it has been seen by the construction of the monstrous warehouse opposite the proposed site our local council & Stafford Borough canny be trusted with safe custody of our local environment.
Nick Gibbons
Although I would welcome a Lidl store in Stone I don’t think we should build one at the expense of farmland. The field in question is regularly sown with corn, as it is now, and should continue to provide food for the country. If a more suitable site could be found I would support it. However, it will go ahead anyway as no matter how much consultation is carried out these things always get pushed through.
Tim Hodson
The announcement of this planned Lidl development is an excellent introduction to the on-going issue regarding the lack of a safe pedestrian crossing on the A51 between Aston Roundabout and the now-named Aston Link Road.
Prior to the construction of the A34 – A51 link, a public footpath provided a route across the fields from opposite the 3 Crowns Inn to the lane into Aston. This is partially replicated by the path through the adjacent housing development, but “runs out of steam” when it reaches the A51. Pedestrians are then faced with a dash across the 60mph road.
A similar test of nerve awaits the pedestrian trying to cross the A51 at Aston roundabout where lack of visibility and signage make this crossing an obvious risk.
Should the Lidl planning proceed to more detailed scrutiny, the introduction of at least one (if not two) pelican crossings on the A51 become an absolute necessity. Located by the proposed vehicle access entrance, cost would be a small percentage of the total project budget.
Jim Livesey
Abysmal, and dangerous location.
No feelings either way about whether there should be a Lidl in Stone. Possibly useful as another option.
The site location however is, terrible, atrocious, dire, congested and hazardous.
There may only be two deliveries but anyone who has been anywhere near the Lidl in Stafford will be aware of the congestion caused there and it will be similar in Stone if this goes ahead.
Anyone coming into the new shop from the A34 direction will have to cross one lane of the A51 to get there, meantime holding up the rest of the traffic heading east will be backing up onto the Aston Roundabout.
As has been pointed out this is more greenery that is to be buried under concrete and tarmac. Surely there a more appropriate and brownfield location somewhere in Stone to host this supermarket?
I object to this supermarket being sited as proposed.
Josephine
I believe that all access will be from A51, this road is extremely busy at the best of times. At the moment the proposed site is a field….you are planning on building on FARM LAND. All other Lidl stores are large STEEL structures, with BOLD signage. You are planning to build in the countryside on green fields….so this will no long be a field again, if this company gets the permission it wants. 130 car park spaces. This will destroy the natural habitat of animals on that area. The LIDL ethos is to thrive, to make more money and grow the business, AT WHAT COST.
AMP
Just forgot to mention two other things,
Supermarket carparks are heavily congested these days, like Aldi.
Sometimes it feels like a vulture flying around the place doing circles just to park,
The population is 18K people.
If there will be no new supermarkets, you will have to force people to get to any other, which means driving on congested roads. Do the maths.
AMP
Look,
it should happen, but then we should consider the traffic, and we know what the traffic is lately.
If there will be two entrances,
First on the A34 South band with an additional lane for the shop and pedestrian walk as well.
Not much land needs to be given away for that,
then the second one is on A51 to Stone and to expand the A51.
Yes, you will find people trying to get through the car park from A51 to A34, but if the shop would like to be there, this is the cost of it.
Nigel Brazier
Driving this stretch of road ever weekday this proposal will make traffic on and off the Aston Roundabout more congested and lead to issues with traffic flow and incidents. I do not feel this is a suitable location and will also be detrimental to the ecology of the area already threatened by developments on the opposite side. It will also be too far from the centre of the town to be of any benefit to people wishing to access on foot, thereby also increasing traffic to the site.
Yvonne Hawley
I agree, I cannot see one thing that recommends this site being developed by Lidl. There is already congestion at that roundabout, it is too far from town as you say and we should not be building on yet more greenbelt.
Yvette Tulley
It’s really a stupid place to put any supermarket. I travel up and down the A34 and visit Stone regularly and I feel a Lidl should not be built here because the roundabout is very busy at peek times and when the M6 is closed. They should be building on brownfield sites not Grren belt. And as you can see from the aerial photo this field us being farmed, so no it should not be developed.
HLD
Ridiculous location that roundabout is already clogged up in rush hr and when the m6 is shut or redirecting. We already have Aldi close by. Why not put it on the new development by scrappy Watson!
HC
Ridiculous location ,
Greenbelt,
Road chaos to ensue,
Enough supermarkets in Stone, find a more appropriate site .
Steve
Fantastic news, we regularly travel from Stone to nearby Lidl stores to shop. I feel that with a growing population, Stone would benefit from an increased range of supermarkets to increase availability and choice.
Josephine
The site proposed to put the Lidl store on is right by next to a roundabout, that is really busy at the best of times. Apart from building on yet ANOTHER green field. Do we really need another supermarket ?
Michael J Edwards
Please let this happen! WE NEED THE BAKERY! Its so much better than the rest.
keiron Quinn
Opposite a cemitary really? its green belt for a reason im all for a Lidle store but there must be a better location than here