Amended plans to build a Lidl supermarket and Wickes DIY store have been submitted after a long-running wrangle to transform a derelict site in Long Eaton. The former industrial site, off Nottingham Road, has been derelict since 2014.
Plans originally put forward by Lidl and Clowes Developments in 2018 were refused by Erewash Borough Council, on the grounds that other preferable sites hadn't been considered and it could have an adverse impact on the vitality of the town centre. There were also concerns it could harm the appearance of that stretch of road, which was once home to Stadium Industrial Park and Long Eaton Trade Centre.
Shortly after the plans were rejected, Lidl said 298 local residents had written to them saying they wanted the development to go ahead. The rejection was overturned on appeal in 2020, with the planning inspector saying the two stores would only divert a small proportion of trade from Long Eaton town centre and that the town’s retail was “robust enough” to withstand the impact.
