A PLANNING application for a Lidl retail foodstore with associated parking, access, servicing and landscaping on the Playing Field at Commercial Road, Lords Meadow Industrial Estate, Crediton, (at NGR 284091 100385) has been submitted to Mid Devon District Council, the planning authority.

The applicant would like to open the store from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays.

The plan includes a neighbourhood foodstore with 1,256 square metres of sales area (the total gross interior floor area being 2,022 square metres).

The development will also provide a free customer car park (114 spaces) and recessed loading bay to facilitate the delivery of goods to the store. It will include disabled parking spaces, cycle parking (10), a trolley bay, parent and child parking spaces and electric vehicle charging spaces.

Vehicular and pedestrian access to the site will be from Commercial Road.

It is proposed that it will have a solar panel roof. The development does affect a public right of way.

The site comprises a parcel of land which is currently used as a sports pitch leased by Crediton RFC and which is allocated under Policy CRE6 (along with an adjacent field to the north-west) for residential development.

The residential allocation is for wider sports pitches that are all in use by CRFC.

The allocation is seeking 120 new homes on this land but a pre-requisite is that the CRFC must be re-located to replacement facilities.

A site to accommodate that has been identified at Pedlarspool but the relocation of the Club is currently stalled as it has insufficient funds to purchase the relocation site.

As part of its proposed development, Lidl says it is willing to provide a £400,000 financial contribution to the Club to allow it to move forward with purchasing the new site at Pedlarspool, and this is expected to be secured via a Section 106 Agreement tied to the planning permission for the foodstore.

In this way the foodstore will assist in the Club relocating and unlock the remainder of the CRE6 allocation for new housing.

Lidl said that there will be good job creation, improved choice and competition in food shopping as well as assistance to Crediton RFC relocation if the plan is approved.

The land on which it is proposed the store is built is owned by the Queen Elizabeth Education Foundation.

The Foundation and Crediton RFC issued statements earlier this month to outline details of the plan to the public and rugby club members (“Courier”, February 12).

The public is able to comment on the planning application and the planning authority will also ask for comments from a range of other partners, bodies and organisations such as Crediton Town Council, Sport England, Devon RFU, etc.

The planning application reference is 21/00222/MFUL.

View the application via the website: www.middevon.gov.uk .

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