A BATTLE of the supermarkets is looming after Lidl revealed plans to open a store in Keynsham.
The discount chain wants to redevelop the Jewson Builders Merchants site opposite Waitrose.
And Lidl says that the site in Broadmead Lane is a better location than the one its rival Aldi wants to develop further out of town on the A4 Bath Road.
Lidl confirmed it had bought the Jewson site after seeking a suitable location in Keynsham for some years.
It said it intends to submit a planning application soon, along with a public consultation.
But it has already suffered a setback, with its demolition plans at Jewson to clear the way for a new store being refused by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
Lidl had applied for prior approval to knock down two industrial buildings on the site which it says are no longer fit for purpose. It had hoped to start the work on May 1 and be finished by June 19, with work taking place between 7.30am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 7.30am to 1pm on Saturday.
But B&NES Council has rejected the request, stating: “There is insufficient information to assess the likely potential impacts of the proposed demolition on protected species, including bats.”
The council said one letter of objection to the plans stated: “If this went ahead, the traffic would be even worse in this area than what it is now. There are no pelican crossings at the Broadmead roundabout and it is very difficult to cross the road there.
“It would be the death knell for Keynsham High Street, which could do with a boost. If Lidl, or Aldi for that matter, wanted to have a supermarket in Keynsham, it should be in the High Street or somewhere very close to the High Street.
“We lost the opportunity to have another decent size supermarket in the centre of Keynsham when the new town hall [civic centre] was built. The Sainsbury local could have been much bigger to encourage people to shop in the centre of Keynsham.”
Lidl told the Voice its purchase of the Jewson site has ended a long search for the right location in the town.
A spokesperson said: “We’ve been looking for a suitable site to bring a Lidl store to Keynsham for a number of years. We’re therefore delighted to have acquired this brownfield site in an established location for development, which benefits from existing highway and pedestrian access.
“While we prepare to submit the application and go through the planning process, the current occupiers, Jewson, will remain on site. As part of our proposals, a transport assessment will also be submitted.”
Meanwhile, planning consultants for Lidl have lodged an objection to Aldi’s plans for a supermarket at the site of the former Brincliffe Nursery on Bath Road.
Aldi submitted its planning application to B&NES Council in May 2024 and has received strong support from the public.
But concerns have been raised about the impact on the busy main road, which has already been affected by new housing developments, and the council’s expected decision date has been pushed back several times, with a new date yet to be revealed.
In objecting to Aldi’s plans, Lidl’s planning consultants referred to a pre-application submission for the Jewson site made to the council in December.
They said the need for a Limited Assortment Discount store in Keynsham was not disputed, but the Jewson site was closer to the town centre than the old Brincliffe Nurseries and should be considered “sequentially preferable”.
Regarding the future of Jewson in the town, a company spokesperson told the Voice: “We remain open for business and our branch team will keep supporting customers with their project needs from Jewson Keynsham on Broadmead Lane until we relocate our operations and colleagues to a new site in the area.”
Pictured above, the Jewson site opposite Waitrose in Broadmead Lane
Lidl unveils Keynsham store bid to rival Aldi’s
