Lidl defeats Stockport over plans for contentious Cheadle supermarket
The Planning Inspectorate has overturned the council’s decision to reject plans for a supermarket at the former Cheadle Heath Works on Stockport Road.
Stockport Council’s planning committee rejected Lidl’s application for a 21,000 sq ft store in line with officer recommendations last year.
Councillors saw fault in the application, submitted by Rapleys for Lidl, citing concerns over traffic, pedestrian safety, and the “necessity” of another supermarket in that location.
However, PINS has sided with the developer and the application has been approved.
The formal decision notice handed down following the rejection stated just one reason for refusal relating to the impact of the scheme’s layout.
The scheme’s design positions the 102-car park at the front of the site facing the road and lacks active frontages, which Stockport said would conflict with the prevailing residential grain and “fail to establish a strong sense of place”.
On this point, the inspector concluded the layout “would not appear visually jarring or undermine local distinctiveness”.
Matters relating to highways, pedestrian safety, air quality, noise, and need were considered at the appeal but discounted.
Lidl’s application for costs was turned down.
Lidl first lodged its planning application for the store in February 2023. Designs for the store by HTC Architects suggest an internal sales area of 13,500 sq ft.
To view the application, use the reference number DC/087761 in Stockport Council’s planning portal. To view the appeal, use the reference APP/C4235/W/25/3368530 on the Planning Inspectorate portal.
What a farce!! The traffic is horrendous already and it still gets passed!! Hope nobody gets hurt or even killed on this stretch of road, which has been ignored in the application by the Council!! How many supermarkets are needed in 1/3 of a mile!! Absolutely ridiculous!!
By Kenilworth Road resident
Yet another bog standard, boring Lidl set in an sea of car parking in an out of centre location.
What a wasted opportunity to do better.
By Anonymous
Lidl’s aggression with pushing their schemes is noteworthy. Whether it’s a GP in fallowfield or a legacy industrial site in a residential area, I have no idea why they insist on paving everything with bloated car parks. Their own planning applications often show that their car parks are oversized compared to predicted maximum demand. Very bizarre behaviour that unfortunately is waved through every time by planning inspectorates who thing parking=custom.
Lidl are probably eyeing up nurseries and libraries for their next demolitions.
By M. I. Grant
Stockport Council refuses yet another application in order to appease vocal nimbys ahead of the May elections, knowing full well what would happen at appeal then? And then puts out statement saying SMBC is considering its options when it knows it doesn’t have any.
At least we can all be confident the new Lidl will close down very quickly given nobody in the area will be shopping there under any circumstances given it definitely wasn’t just the usual noisy minority claiming to be speaking for everyone else, and local councillors competing to indulge them.
By Jeremy Cheadle
This will create traffic chaos, particularly at peak periods and the application should have originally been refused on highway grounds. Questionable decision making. No doubt a rival competitor will challenge the decision.
By Anonymous
The Greggs drive was acceptable but a supermarket was not. A site perfect for the HMOs the council loves so much with an adequate carpark was demolished to build a Greggs.
Makes one doubt the credibility of the local planning decisions.
By Captain Bob
Just gone past proposed site chaos with traffic for once the council is correct
By David Evans
Their acquisition and planning advisors are doing them no favours….they need to work on how to integrate better.
By Don cheglioni
Yet another indication of a weak council in Stockport.
By Peter
What is the point of public consultation? Three large supermarkets within 300m is daft.
By Disappointed
Just moving back to gatley…this is a good idea to me.
By Al Hindle
Stockport said would conflict with the prevailing residential grain and “fail to establish a strong sense of place”.
However, they granted permission for that monstrosity of a building at the beginning of Parkway which looks like a medieval mansion from Hallowe’en and doesn’t match the streetscene in any shape or form.
By Kenny
Poor and weak Stockport Council again.
By Peter
Why the council have not acquired the land for housing shows the power of the supermarket
By Anonymous
This is horrendous right near Roscoes Roundabout which has the slip roads to the M60 there are an Aldi and Morrisons and Tesco extra within walking distance. God Help us the traffic will be horrendous
By Susan
It’ll be fine everyone. Roscoe’s roundabout is one of the safest most understandable roundabouts in the Cheadle Heath area. Why there’s only been 2 crashes there in the whole of 2026. Once we add the safety of merging a 2 lane exit on a blind corner into a 1 lane to accommodate Lidl’s local customers, then we can all live peacefully. And all the honking and trye screeching is just all the drivers sharing how wonderful they think it is
By Mike
As a long standing resident on Kenilworth Road I can foresee the already gridlocked traffic at peak times getting even worse.The original planning application by Lidl looked like a potential disaster area for pedestrians
By Mark Addison
Inevitable that the existing Lidl store less than a mile away on Councillor Lane will close when this one opens. The existing store is on the edge of a large estate and within walking distance for many. Not so the proposed development.
By Mike
Living in this locality is now akin to living in a Centre Commercial. This will be the fifth very large Store to be opened. To add insult to injury this area has No Post Office. Edgeley or Cheadle our nearest. Neither do we have Flower Baskets adorning our lamp posts in Summer or a Christmas Tree that is central for all to enjoy.( The is a tree sited on the Round about for passing traffic) which will obviously increase. A larger Car park for Aldi currently being started!! More traffic. More traffic pollution. February 3rd Criccieth Rd Resident.
By Christine Henderson