Lidl supermarket sparks opening hours row with residents in Netherton

A councillor is spearheading a campaign to stop Lidl, which has applied to stay open to customers for two hours longer each day.

Complaints to Dudley Council include reports of lorries ‘thundering’ onto the shop’s car park at 5am and then leaving their engines running waking residents.

Councillor Elaine Taylor, who represents Netherton, Woodside and St Andrews ward, claims supermarket workers are failing to padlock the shop’s gates at night allowing the vehicles access to the site.

She said: “I sent a letter objecting to the plans on behalf of residents, who ask councillors to assist them.

“I say this with two hats on. We need business and want to encourage business but Lidl has to adhere to the conditions put on them.

“Neighbours are complaining that staff are often leaving gates open, and delivery lorries are delivering goods when they are not supposed to be.”

The Lidl supermarket on Halesowen Road, Netherton, was built after a planning application in 2006, which saw a former industrial building knocked down, was approved.

It originally opened with operating times of between 8am and 8pm on weekdays. This was extended by one hour to 8am until 9pm in 2009.

Conditions

Conditions, imposed by the council, said the business should not operate outside these hours.

But Councillor Taylor said that residents have complained to her, claiming that lorries are accessing the site in the early hours of the morning.

Lidl has now submitted a planning application asking for permission for the shop to open between 7am and 10pm on any day of the week.

Planning bosses at the council will make a decision later this month at the authority’s next planning meeting.

The application has been recommended for approval – as long as the supermarket does not operate outside the new hours.

A council report into the application said: “Objections have been received from the occupiers of three dwellings, which front onto Halesowen Road.

“One objector has now written in three times.

“An objection has also been received from a ward councillor.

“These make the following points: The store already infringes the opening times – the gates are never padlocked shut and have been left open many times.

“The flouting of the opening times seriously impedes the basic right of neighbours to have quiet time; and large lorries thunder across the car park to the rear of the store before 6am, engines are revved whilst reversing into the loading bay.”

No-one from the supermarket was available for comment.