A SUPERMARKET’S bid for a roundabout onto a town high street has been rejected by Forest planners.

Tesco wanted to site the mini-roundabout at the entrance to its Lydney store, to ease queues for its shoppers.

But the scheme between the junctions of Bream Road/Victoria Road and Stanford Road was turned down after fears of air pollution were raised.

A statement from the Environmental and Regulatory Services agency said: “The proposal will impact traffic flows within our Lydney Air Quality Management Area, where nitrogen dioxide levels challenge and exceed the national air quality standard.”

They called for technical evidence that air quality would not be impacted before any planning approval was granted.

A traffic survey recorded as many as 18 cars at one time queuing to access the store car park and petrol station, with as many as six cars queuing to exit onto High Street.

Tesco claimed that customers were often delayed exiting the car park onto the busy road, and shoppers visiting the store were held up finding a parking space.

It said: “The effect of the proposal would introduce a change in priority at the junction that would help to alleviate the onsite queuing that takes place which is impacting on the operation of the car park and store access.”

But opposing the scheme, Lydney Town Council said “the proposal would exacerbate the problems already experienced with the flow of traffic at peak times.”

They said it would work against a proposed £1m-plus investment in road improvements planned in 2018/2019 for Bream Junction, causing “greater congestion in High Street, Bream Road and Hill Street.”

Councillors added that it “would have a detrimental effect on the Lydney Air Quality Management Plan”.