Plans to partially dismantle Birmingham's Northfield Shopping Centre to pave the way for a new Lidl supermarket have been earmarked for approval.
The budget-friendly grocery chain wants to raze a section of the shopping complex, with the targeted area currently unoccupied and formerly home to Wilko.
Should the proposal receive the go-ahead next week, a new Lidl outlet would be developed, complete with 124 car parking bays and provisions for 12 bicycles.
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Additionally, the scheme includes the creation of a pedestrian thoroughfare and 'associated public realm enhancements' bridging the remaining segment of Northfield Shopping Centre with the new store, thereby linking Victoria Common and Bristol Road South.
A council report has praised the project as a catalyst for securing a "long-term viable use for the site that would contribute positively to the vibrancy and vitality of the Northfield neighbourhood centre".
It highlights the introduction of an alternative budget shopping venue for locals and says the store would generate some 40 jobs - with a mix of full-time and part-time roles.
The document commends the proposed store's orientation and active frontage towards Bristol Road South as a "notable enhancement" to the locale's character and aesthetic.
It adds "It is considered regrettable the other elevations of the store are somewhat functional and uninspiring in terms of design quality in comparison to the primary elevation of the proposed store.
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"However, this is not considered a justifiable reason to refuse the application but rather a missed opportunity to potentially deliver more of a landmark building at this prominent location."
Concerns were raised about a perceived shortfall in landscape enhancements and the level of tree, shrub and flower planting.
But the report said: "Weighed in the entire planning balance, they are not considered to outweigh the benefits of the scheme in terms of revitalising a vacant brownfield site and securing a long-term viable use." The report also highlighted that a series of stipulations accompanying the approval of planning permission would tackle those concerns "adequately addressed".
And the study said: "On balance, the proposed development is considered acceptable and would have no environmental or landscape impacts that would warrant a refusal of planning permission.
"The development would create local construction and retail jobs.
"As such, the development would have a positive economic, social and environmental benefit."
The project will come before the city council's planning committee for consideration on Thursday, April 10.
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