Discount retailer Lidl has finally got its bid for a store in Salford’s Castle Irwell scheme over the line. This follows a planning application that was rejected Salford council planners in the summer of 2021, followed by an appeal at which the inspectorate upheld the authority’s decision because the 23,300 sq ft store would be too large. But Salford council officers have now approved the scheme for a smaller store, measuring 20,000 sq ft at the site on the corner of Cromwell Road and Littleton Road under delegated powers. Lidl’s new plan has also moved the store closer to Littleton Road and moved the access point for vehicles to Cromwell Road, opening out onto a car park with 100 spaces, including six disabled, nine parent and child and two electric vehicle charging points in addition to five motorbike parking bays. Nine representations from the public were submitted to the city council’s planning department over the new application, with one saying the foodstore ‘would be positive for the neighbourhood, providing a real service for residents and a good addition to the retail offer’. It also said the store would make the area more attractive and raise the value of properties around it. However, officers responded by saying ‘impact on property values is not a material planning consideration’. One objector argued there should be a fence between the store and nearby Ribot Walk to boost safety in a gated area and that the whole area around the store should be CCTV monitored. But the city council responded by saying there would an additional footpath running parallel to Ribot Walk, widening the link between Littleton Road and the wider Castle Irwell site to increase pedestrian and cycle ‘connectivity’ to and from the store. Another objector argued that the proposed ‘sea of car parking’ fails to promote active travel and reduce car reliance and ‘feels like a 1970s-based plan’, saying pedestrian links should be better defined, well-lit and avoid pedestrians having to cross car parks to get to the store. Officers responded by saying the car parking provision complies with the city council’s maximum standards. “Care has been taken to minimise the impact of car parking on the design qualities of the development, with parking now located to the rear of the store to promote a positive relationship with the surrounding streets,” the report said. The site was formerly host to the Manchester Racecourse, from 1847 to 1963. The most modern course was opened in 1902, and this included the construction of the two remaining elements of infrastructure on the wider site – the red-brick boundary wall and the turnstiles building. The report concludes: “The development would make a valuable contribution towards the vitality and viability of the newly-designated Charlestown Local Centre and the provision of convenience goods retail services for residents of the surrounding areas, including the emerging Castle Irwell neighbourhood. “The revised scheme addresses concerns raised in respect of the previous scheme for development of the site relating to layout, scale, appearance, landscaping and connectivity, with a high-quality design approach.” It also said that the scheme would not harm the significance of the neighbouring Grade II-listed former Co-op building.
