BOSSES at supermarket Lidl are to be asked to look again at the size of their planned new store at Wilmslow.

Planning officers are to write to the company after Cheshire East councillors voiced concern about the scale of the supermarket proposed at the Summerfield Village Centre.

Lidl is also to be asked about parking at the store, which would be twice the size of its current supermarket in Dean Row Road, following concern over whether there would be enough spaces.

To allow time for the discussions the Northern Planning Committee deferred a decision on the Lidl scheme for the second time in two months.

A motion to defer the application was tied at five-all before committee chairman Cllr George Walton used his casting vote in favour of deferral.

Lidl wants to demolish its store at Summerfield, along with the closed Energie Fitness Club, and build a larger store with 136 parking spaces.

The scheme was deferred in December for planners to seek further clarification on transport, highway and other issues.

The application was recommended for approval at the meeting, but may go for a decision to the Secretary of State, who has received a request to rule on the scheme.

Cllr Barry Burkhill said Wilmslow town centre would be ‘significantly vulnerable’ to the larger Lidl store, and the vacancy rate in the centre of Handforth was a ‘staggering’ 22.7 per cent, twice the national average.

“If we are to believe in and support the policies in our Local Plan we should refuse this application,” he said.

Cllr Craig Browne was concerned that the council was “prepared to put at risk the viability of these independent shops and businesses to facilitate the development of a multi-national.”

Richard Armstead from Summerfields Residents Association said the size of the proposed store was inappropriate.

“This application threatens the neighbourhood and Wilmslow and Handforth town centres, and we don’t want them to become a victim of creeping conurbation,” he said.

Resident Diana Stenson, a regular Summerfields shopper, said the current Lidl store was very popular, but the aisles were too narrow and queues too long.

PCSO Kerry Hancock said the fitness club had been targeted by vandals since closing in December.

“We have had windows smashed and have had to patrol the area much more since the gym has closed,” she said.

Chris Smith, representing Lidl, said the current store was one of the company’s smallest, yet was very popular with residents and was one of Lidl’s top-performers in the north west.

“Lidl needs a new larger store as a direct result of the popularity of its existing store,” he said.

“Lidl primarily seeks to improve the quality of the shopping experience for customers, and while the replacement store would be twice the size it will offer an almost identical range of goods,” he said.

There was no reason neighbouring shops shouldn’t continue to operate successfully with the opening of the replacement store, he said, and the impact on Wilmslow town centre would be no different to currently.