Lidl have withdrawn their planning application to build a new Lidl foodstore on the site of the old Fir Tree pub, which was demolished in 2020. 

Reddish North councillor Roy Driver announced on Facebook: "Stockport planning department have informed Reddish North councillors that Lidl has decided to WITHDRAW their planning application for a new supermarket in North Reddish. […] 

"This means the planning application will not go ahead. 

"Lidl have reviewed the scheme internally and have reached the view that it is no longer viable for them to deliver. 

"Lidl stated this is due to the extent of the changes required to address the Council's concerns about the proposals. 

"Lidl also mentioned the length of time since the application was first submitted, but that was their decision not to come to a fair agreement on the plans. 

"A key issue for Lidl was they wanted to extend the car park into North Reddish Park. Reddish North councillors refused to accept the proposal from Lidl. The park is for the public not developers. 

"We are disappointed that the supermarket will now not go ahead and now await any decision by Lidl as to who they may sell the land to." 

In a later post, Cllr Driver re-emphasised that local Reddish councillors would not approve any plans which sold off the public land in North Reddish park, although he acknowledged that the new store "would have been welcome by many people in the area affected by the cost of living". 

The contentious issue involved the car park encroaching on North Reddish Park, which is public land (Image from Stockport Council Planning)

Property and planning consultancy Rapleys LLP – working on behalf of Lidl – acknowledged the disappointment felt in the community. 

In a letter to Stockport Council's planning officers, they said: "This has […] not been an easy decision for our client to make. However, the application has been live for more than 16 months now. 

"In that time, the team at Lidl has worked hard to update the plans to satisfy the feedback from the council. This includes customisation of standard store specifications above and beyond what is normally required. 

"But due to the extent of these changes and the significant delays faced since the application was first submitted, my client has determined that the project is unfortunately no longer viable." 

Cllr driver has promised to provide updates on what might happen to the land. 

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