Somerset’s smallest city could still get a revamped Lidl store if fresh plans are approved by the district council.

The German supermarket giant has applied to build a new store on the site of the former Travis Perkins outlet on the A39 Strawberry Way in Wells, next door to its existing base.

Mendip District Council refused the plans just before Christmas, with concerns being raised about flooding and possible improvements to the Strawberry Line active travel route which runs nearby.

The supermarket has now put forward amended proposals for the new store, with a decision expected to be made by the end of spring.

In the previous iteration of the scheme, a new Lidl store would be built on the Travis Perkins site, with the current store being left vacant and marketed to a non-food retailer.

But under the new plans, the entire site will be occupied by a larger Lidl store, with more parking being provided at the eastern end of the site near the border with Priory Road.

A total of 46 extra parking spaces will be provided on site, bringing the total to 125, with an additional three disabled spaces and an additional 12 motorcycle spaces.

A spokesman for One Design Architects (representing Lidl) said: “Due to the limited size of the existing store, with a net sales floorspace of 945 sq m, it does not meet the current requirements of the business or Lidl’s customers.

“The redevelopment of the store immediately presents an ideal opportunity to meet these requirements with a modern 1,414 sq m net store which can better serve the local community.”

Lidl has said the new store will create up to ten jobs, though the majority of these will be part-time.

The council refused the original plans through the delegated powers of its planning officers in December 2021.

While no decision notice has yet been published on the council’s website (which would lay out the detailed reasons for the refusal), the Environment Agency (EA) raised concerns about whether the plans met the council’s sequential test – meaning that if there is a more appropriate site for this store which has a lower flood risk, it should be built there instead.

Councillor Lois Rogers, who represents the neighbouring Wells Central ward, also argued the development should not proceed unless improvements to the Strawberry Line can be secured in the process.

Speaking in October 2021 (when the proposals were briefly discussed by the council’s planning board), she said: “This scheme has been in the pipeline for more than two decades.

"The failure to establish the Mendip section of the route is testimony to the incompetence of successive administrations.

“To fulfil our national and local obligations to combat the climate and environmental emergency, it is essential that a safe cycle crossing is signposted across Priory Road and round the back of the new supermarket.”

The Strawberry Line is intended to provide a car-free travel route between Clevedon and Evercreech, with different sections being added over time.

Work was recently completed on a short new stretch between Wells and the Charlie Bingham site in Dulcote, with the council also voting in December to approve plans for a new stretch through a car park at its headquarters in Shepton Mallet.

A study has also been commissioned into the prospect of extending the route to Clevedon from its current terminus near Yatton railway station.

The council is expected to make a decision on the new Lidl plans by the end of the spring.

A decision also remaining pending on the supermarket chain’s proposals to expand its existing store in Street, increasing the store size as well as adding more parking spaces and cycle parking.