Lidl has started construction on its new multi-million-pound store on Tinever Road, Braunton.
The store is expected to create 40 new jobs when it opens next spring. Lidl employees are among the highest paid in the industry, with entry hourly pay rates of £13.45 nationally.
The development was approved in June by North Devon Council. It will include 117 customer parking spaces, electric vehicle chargers and a revised 35-space council long-stay car park for the wider area and for people accessing the Tarka Trail.
Spanning across 1,347m2, the store will feature an in-store bakery, a "middle of Lidl" aisle and roof-mounted solar panels.
The discounter is inviting nearby primary schools to be the first in the area to join the "Lidl Foodies" programme. The initiative provides teachers with free resources to help children across the country develop a love for healthy eating.
Suzannah Clemo, Lidl GB's regional head of property, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to break ground on Tinever road. We have worked collaboratively with the local community and councils to ensure this store not only brings fantastic value and choice to Braunton and Chivenor but also delivers better jobs for people here.
“Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our journey so far, we can’t wait to welcome you into our new store which is on track to open next spring."
When the retailer held a public consultation on its plans at the beginning of the year, it said that 92 per cent of the 1,300 people who responded were in favour of the move. Many residents claimed the store would reduce the need to travel into Barnstaple for food shopping and would help cut local traffic.
There were also nearly 50 letters of support sent to North Devon Council in favour of the plans, with only one objection. Those letters highlighted that the store would support all the houses that have been recently built in Chivenor, would bring a boost to existing businesses in the area and would make good use of a space that currently did not serve a purpose.
The 117 car parking spaces specifically for the store will include six disabled spaces, nine parent and child spaces and two EV charging spaces, plus secure parking for 12 cycles. A dedicated delivery bay will be situated along the southern elevation of the foodstore.
The site is part of 13 hectares granted outline planning permission for mixed use development including 150 homes in August 2014.
Heanton Punchardon Parish Council raised concerns that a community hub, which was part of the original masterplan for the site, was not included as a condition of the consent. The council claimed it had “faded from view” and been “overlooked” whilst other parts of the plan, including homes, had come to fruition. Planning officers said the obligation to build a community hub still remained.
“While the parish council's concerns regarding the delivery of the community hub are noted and understood, the hub remains secured through the extant Section 106 Agreement,” they said.
Since arriving in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and is now the UK's fifth largest supermarket, with over 35,000 employees across more than 1,010 stores and 13 distribution centres spanning England, Scotland, and Wales.
The nearest Lidl stores to Braunton currently are in Barnstaple and Bideford.
Lidl Begins Construction on Braunton Store Set for Spring Opening