LIDL may have seen off Aldi in Coleford last year, but the retailer lost out when planners turned down its bid for a new edge-of-town store on the site of a rundown business park

The budget retailer wanted to demolish part of the Wolf Business Park on Gloucester Road in Ross-on-Wye to make way for a new store, which they claimed would have created around 100 jobs, including on the refurbished business park.

But Herefordshire Council planners rejected the scheme saying it would hit the long-term protection of the historic town centre, which already has an Aldi, a Morrisons and a Sainsbury’s.

Lidl had failed to show why land or buildings in the town’s central shopping and commercial area were unsuitable for the new store, they added, while the loss of trees, road safety fears and the loss of employment land were also cited.

Lib Dem Ross East county councillor Paul Symonds said: “This will obviously disappoint residents, particularly in the Hildersley area, but we want to encourage people to use shops in the town centre and will be putting together a transport strategy this year to make access easier.

“I’ll be speaking to county council officers to see how we can improve the way people engage in the planning process too, as a lot of views on social media were not captured by the formal planning process.

“We also need to work with Wolf Industries to see how this site can be improved or redeveloped, assuming Lidl do not appeal the decision.”

Lidl’s regional property head Paul Hebblethwaite said: “Our proposals for the Wolf Business Park represented a significant opportunity to rejuvenate an important area of Ross-on-Wye, bringing investment and job opportunities along with the provision of greater shopping choice for local residents.

“Our teams worked hard to revise plans in response to feedback from the local community and consultees, and we would like to thank those who wrote to us in support of our application.

“We will now take time to consider our options and will share an update on our next steps in due course.”

The family-owned site is two-thirds vacant, and the owners have previously said the only way to make it viable again after running it for 50 years was by selling part of it to Lidl.

The buildings were dilapidated and a refurbishment was too costly without major investment, claimed Andrea Wolf last month.