Lidl coming to Leighton Buzzard industrial estate - despite objection from Waitrose

The Lidl GB Limited project will create 40 jobs on a three-acre site, off Billington Road, after its approval by Central Bedfordshire Council last week.

Its application is for a food store with an access, parking for 122 vehicles, cycle storage for 12 bikes, landscaping and other works, with an internal floorspace of 2,184sqm.

The store would be open from 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, including Bank Holidays, and from 9am to 5pm on Sundays, according to the local authority’s planning decision notice.

All deliveries are restricted to between 6am and 11pm Monday to Saturday, including Bank Holidays, and from 8am to 9pm on Sundays, it added.

Waitrose and Partners are concerned about “the financial impact assessment” associated with the scheme, said the planning officer’s delegated report.

“Its assumptions are criticised as lacking robustness” by Waitrose, which suggests “predicted turnover primarily draws from local food stores”.

There’s “insufficient representation of trade draw from Waitrose, with the proposed figures unrealistic, especially concerning competition from nearby stores”.

The Waitrose objections also highlighted “potential loss of significant footfall and spending from the town centre, particularly from its store, which may be underestimated”.

The “reliance on the 2017 Central Bedfordshire retail study is inappropriate, and an updated assessment is required to evaluate town centre vitality”, the company added.

This site is currently empty and covered with vegetation, but was used for employment purposes until the former industrial units were demolished in 2017.

Lidl has identified a number of objectives for the development, said a final design statement of Whittam Cox Architects.

“These are to invest in this part of Leighton Buzzard and improve the quality of convenience goods shopping in the area, provide a new Lidl supermarket, which is efficient in its layout and consistent with the latest standards, and deliver a retail store that substantially improves the site.”

CBC’s decision notice stated: “The council acted pro-actively through positive engagement with the applicant at the pre-application stage and during the determination process, which led to improvements to the scheme”.

Planning permission is granted “subject to condition that development may not begin unless a biodiversity gain plan has been submitted to and approved by CBC.

“No development shall commence until the final detailed design of the surface water drainage scheme has been submitted to and approved by the local authority,” it explained.

“No building shall be brought into use until the developer’s finalised ‘maintenance and management plan’ for the entire surface water drainage system has been formally accepted in writing by CBC.

“Flood prevention should be prioritised from the land clearance phase of the development, so there’ll be no increase in flood risk to nearby properties or infrastructure from any source.

“Prior to first occupation of the retail store, an updated travel plan will be submitted to and approved in writing by the council.

“No development, excluding works necessary for archaeological investigations, shall take place until a rights of way scheme has been submitted to and approved in writing by CBC.”

Leighton-Linslade Town Council confirmed its “original comments remained pertinent” to a previous refusal by CBC in March 2025 for transport and highways safety reasons.

It raised no objection “subject to improvements being made to cycling and pedestrian routes to the site, with a pedestrian crossing on Billington Road from the Sandhills estate and a pedestrian access created into the site from Chartmoor Road”.

Principal planning officer Andrew Cundy noted: “Following talks with the applicant, new and improved pedestrian and cycle routes are being provided near the site”.