Lidl reveal plans for modern makeover for Spotland Road store

Plans to give the Lidl located on Spotland Road a modern makeover have been revealed.

Proposals have been submitted to Rochdale Council to knock down the existing store and the former Blockbuster store and replace them with a modern store building.

The new building will be 845sq m larger than the existing store which would provide 415sq m of additional sales floor space and would also give the store 90 more car parking spaces.

The plans say: “The existing Lidl store was constructed in the late 1990s and represents one of the older generation stores to be built in the UK. The store offers very limited storage space and servicing facilities, which impose constraints upon operational efficiency of the store.

“Internally the store has a dated appearance and does not reflect the high quality environment that Lidl seeks to provide for its customers and staff. The neighbouring former Blockbuster unit is of an almost identical design and construction to the Lidl store, having a highly utilitarian appearance.

“The replacement store will have a crisp and simple form with white rendered walls and panels of clear glazing resulting in a contemporary appearance. A key feature will be the new shop front, which will have an extensive glazing in order to increase the level of daylight in the shop floor and enhance the shopping environment.”

It is understood that access to the supermarket will continue to come from Spotland Road and Toad Lane with an exit added to Spotland Road.

A spokesperson for Lidl said: “We have recently submitted a planning application with proposals to refurbish and extend our Rochdale store. Plans include demolishing the building to make way for a more modern store with a bigger sales area and improved access arrangements. The appearance of the store will be in line with our latest specification, with a modern glass frontage and high quality fascia cladding.

“At Lidl we are committed to improving our offering and investing in the local area by acquiring adjacent land in order to improve customer access. We currently have display boards in place at the store so that our plans can be viewed by both existing and future customers.”