New Lidl store approved after planning battle

15 hours ago

Amy WoodwardLocal Democracy Reporting Service

The German retailer's application was approved on Thursday

A new Lidl store has been approved in Bournemouth after a similar application was refused more than a year ago.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council's eastern planning committee gave the go-ahead for the German retailer's proposed supermarket at Westover Retail Park in the coastal Dorset town.

It submitted a first planning application in 2023 but that was rejected in January 2025 over concerns the site would not be used effectively.

The amended project, which reduced the size of the store and proposed a cycle lane, was submitted to the council in April.

Amended plans, including a computer-generated image of the new supermarket, were submitted to the council last year

Lidl/BCP Council A CGI impression of how the store and a car park, which a handful of cars parked in it, will look in Bournemouth. — Amended plans, including a computer-generated image of the new supermarket, were submitted to the council last year

Lidl said the new store was expected to bring 40 new jobs to the area.

Tesco argued that the planning application should have been rejected on the same grounds the council gave in January 2025 but the authority's planning officers said the changes Lidl had made were sufficient.

An earlier plan to clear the site for redevelopment to build the store was approved by BCP in May 2025.

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.