PLANS to build a discount supermarket in Hoyland Common - which were met with disdain from local residents - are set to be refused.
Amended plans for a new Lidl were submitted last month and would have been built to the north of Sheffield Road.
The store was set to be single-storey in height and accessible via Cross Keys Lane with a new access located in the south corner of the site.
Prior consultation to the amended plans saw a total of 24 responses received by email.
Of those, only four were in support and 17 objected to the plans.
The main concerns raised around the development saw traffic generation on the already-busy road network, as well as there already been sufficient retail provision due to an Aldi, Morrisons, Co-Op and Tesco all already within a short distance of the site.
However, a planning report said: “A transport assessment has been prepared to assess the impact of the proposed development on the surrounding highway network as well as when peak flows will be.
“Following this analysis, no existing highway issues have been found and the proposed development will not adversely impact on the efficiency of the existing network.
“The junction of Cross Keys Lane and Sheffield Road will be upgraded to allow for the
increased traffic flow, whilst Cross Keys Lane itself will be widened to the store entrance to allow safe entry and exit for all traffic.
“A retail impact assessment has been undertaken and has determined that the proposal would not have a significant adverse impact on any of the centres and would help to increase consumer choice in the area.”
At next week’s planning meeting, councillors have been recommended to reject the plans put forward.
Coun Chris Lamb and former Coun Jim Andrews both objected to the application on the grounds that access to and from the site is not suitable and would ‘significantly compromise road safety’.
They also added the site is not large enough and that it would have a detrimental effect on the enjoyment of locals from the location of the store with a floodlit car park.
Subsequently, the plans are set to be rejected next week.
A council report added: “The application does not provide evidence of the extent to which the proposal would generate new jobs as opposed to transferring business, and hence jobs, from other shops in the catchment area or elsewhere.
“As such it is concluded that notwithstanding the benefits from the proposed development, which can be given limited weight, they are outweighed by the adverse impact on highway safety and the loss of greenspace - and the lack of information to demonstrate that the proposal would not harm vitality and viability of the local centre at Hoyland Common, residential amenity of adjacent dwellings, the character and appearance of the area and that the proposal would adequately address biodiversity mitigation and secure sustainable development.”
The main reasons supplied for the rejection include road safety issues, the loss of greenspace and lack of information in regards to retail assessment.
