Revised, longer opening hours are proposed for the new Logie Green Lidl, only days after consent for it was granted.
On 3 February, developer Watkin Jones won planning permission for a changed version of previously consented plans concerning a site on Logie Green Road (Ref. 13/03546/FUL replacing 8/01365/FUL). Locals had earlier seen and questioned these proposals as part of a pre-application consultation (Ref. 13/01990/PAN reported in Issue 222).
In recommending those revised plans’ approval, Council officers did not think ‘noise pollution’ around the new Lidl supermarket would affect nearby residential amenity, as had been raised in objection.
Now, however, almost before the ink is dry on the paperwork, Watkin Jones has returned with a new application to extend Lidl’s opening hours (Ref. 14/00417/FUL).
Condition 9 of the 13/03546/FUL consent (see pdf at foot of page) limited opening hours to 0800–2200 Monday to Friday, 0800–2000 on Saturdays, and 0900–2000 on Sundays.
Watkin Jones – presumably under pressure from Lidl – now wants to extend the opening hours to 0800–2200 Monday to Saturday and 0900–2200 on Sundays. In other words, it wants to increase times by 2 hours per day on weekend evenings.
Watkin Jones has retained the services of PDA Acoustic consultants to assess the noise impact of what it (PDA) describes as a 'Minor amendment, correction regarding change to Saturday opening time' (accidentally missing out any reference to Sunday).
Readers will probably not be amazed to discover that PDA’s results indicate that the effects of noise from the proposed extended operating hours of the store ‘would not cause a significant impact or dis-benefit to the surrounding residential properties'.
Readers will also probably not fall off their chairs when they hear PDA saying:
'It is notable that an existing Tesco supermarket on Broughton Road already operates with weekend opening hours of 07:00 – 22:00 on Saturdays and 09:00 – 22:00 on Sundays. The customer access to the car-park of this store is a one way system with the exit located opposite the proposed Lidl store and adjacent to existing housing on Logie Green Road.'
Various points and questions strike Spurtle, which admittedly has no professional expertise in noise assessment, retail practices or Planning:
- Would the combined noise impact of two stores operating longer exceed the effects on residential amenity of just one store's extended hours assessed in isolation? Is this distinction clearly accounted for in PDA’s calculations?
- What number and kind of vehicles would access Lidl during these extra hours? Would they, for example, include delivery lorries with associated crashing and bumping of cages?
- Watkin Jones had ample opportunities to check its form-filling at an earlier stage. Any 'correction' it wishes to make now results solely from its own mistake, if that is the right term, not anyone else's.
- Were the Council to accede to this new application, there is a danger that it might give the wrong message and encourage future developers and their prospective retail clients to make unrealistic promises about opening hours at an early stage in the hope of extending them later when interested parties are no longer paying attention.
Spurtle dislikes such creepage unless there is some dramatic mitigating change in circumstances. The danger otherwise is that such piecemeal practices make the Planning system look shifty and untransparent to the general public, leading many non-experts to misinterpret its processes as a cynical game of Grandmother’s Footsteps.
We hope that the New Town & Broughton Community Council will study this latest application very carefully.
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The popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Category B-listed premises on Antigua Street has been granted consent to install top-lit signage and menu boards, and to remove its unauthorised lighting.
LED lighting will be installed under the cornice/stringcourse, and the CCTV camera will be repositioned.
Unauthorised decking will be removed and railings be installed to match those already on the Union Street elevation.
A Pomegranate logo will replace signage on the fanlight, and be backlit from within the restaurant.
We covered Pomegranate's unpalatable problems in Breaking news (4.8.13 and 14.10.13).
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The project, which includes infilling the lower ground floor and recladding the 'external envelope' (sometimes known as the outside) were described by an official as complying 'with the development plan and there is no significant impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area, neighbouring amenity or road safety'.
One of the conditions attached to the sale was that a monitor displaying public transport real-time information be positioned in the hotel foyer.
Other hotel-related planning applications granted on this street recently have included:
- 1–4, 12 York Place – creation of 12 self-contained apartments serviced from hotel at 8 York Place (Ref. 10/03230/LBC)
- 38 York Place – change of use from office to hotel and bar at 38 York Place (Ref. 10/02678/FUL)
- 34-8 York Place – conversion to a hotel (Ref. 10/02494/LBC)
- 51-9 York Place – alterations to existing Osbourne Hotel (Ref 10/02385/FUL).
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Broughton Spurtle 5 hours ago Just 6 days after gaining planning consent for new Logie Green Road branch of Lidl, developer seeks to extend weekend opening hours. Planning update:http://www.broughtonspurtle.org.uk/news/logie-green-plans-still-changing-–-lidl-lidl
@theSpurtle would prefer an Aldi instead
Neale Gilhooley Surely they can open the store and then assess real noise and any additional noise then decide, rather than accepting the consultant paid by the developer who will be gone by the time the effects are felt. Does either shop need to be open till 22:00?
Napier Bathrooms & Interiors Ltd. We always welcome competition to Tesco who seem to dominate this city - investment, growth, employment and opportunity we welcome to our busy city centre areas.