As many as 40 new jobs are set to be created on the southern outskirts of Bridgwater following approval for a new Lidl supermarket near the M5.
Lidl GB Ltd submitted an application in January 2024 to construct a new store on Carnival Way within the Bridgwater Gateway site, which is slated to eventually house nearly 500 new homes and commercial units just a stone's throw from junction 24 of the motorway. After about a year of consultation, Somerset Council has greenlit the plans, meaning construction could commence before the year's end.
This approval will also expedite the creation of a new pedestrian crossing over Wilstock Way, ensuring safer access between the new homes and local amenities via the Wilstock and Stockmoor Country Park. The new store will be situated on the southern side of Carnival Way – just east of the Costa Coffee drive-thru outlet, where Domino's Pizza and Greggs are also planning to open new units – and south of new industrial units which received planning consent in May 2023.
Access will be from Carnival Way, with provision for 105 parking spaces – including six accessible spaces, nine parent and child spaces, two electric vehicle charging bays and 12 motorcycle spaces. Pedestrian access will be facilitated along Carnival Way and the A38 Taunton Road using the existing walking and cycling network.
German supermarket group Lidl, has consented to contribute some £31,200 towards the creation of a new signal-controlled crossing over Wilstock Way. This crossing will connect the Wilstock and Stockmoor housing estates to the A38, facilitating access to the store for local residents and enabling future inhabitants of the Bridgwater Gateway homes to walk or cycle to Somerset Bridge Primary School without traversing the bustling main road.
Dan Templeton, director of Planning Potential and acting on behalf of the supermarket, said: "It is not within Lidl's gift to provide a pedestrian access directly from Wilstock Way.
"Lidl has committed to providing a financial contribution towards the delivery of a new light-controlled pedestrian crossing on Wilstock Way, which will be secured through a Section 106 agreement.
"This will ensure that an improved crossing point is provided for customers visiting the store from the Wilstock and Stockmoor area to the north.
"The crossing itself will be delivered by Somerset Council's highways department as part of planned improvements to the local area."
Lidl also recently contributed to the extension of the Strawberry Line active travel route with its new, larger outlet on the A39 Strawberry Way in Wells, which opened in late January.
The plans for Carnival Way were approved via the council's planning officers' delegated powers, rather than by a public decision by its north planning committee, which typically handles major applications within the former Sedgemoor area. Construction on the new store is anticipated to start later in the year.
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