WORKERS this week have moved onto the site of a planned new Lidl supermarket in Wellington.

Pre-construction work is being carried out on the plot adjoining the Cades Farm roundabout.

The discount retailer was granted conditional planning permission for the store by Somerset West and Taunton Council in January following a lengthy application process.

Lidl were given the go ahead for a 2,098 square metre foodstore along with associated car park, landscaping and new vehicular access off Nynehead Road.

The company has said it hopes to welcome its first customers to the outlet at the corner of Nynehead Road and the B3187 Taunton Road by Christmas.

More than 500 people contacted the district council supporting the application, while there were 23 opponents concerned about road safety and the impact the store could have on Wellington town centre.

Wellington Town Council also objected to the scheme during the application process.

Lidl says 40 new jobs will be created once the store opens.

Waitrose and Asda, who both have stores in Wellington, had attempted to block Lidl from opening on the edge of town site.

But Lidl countered by saying customers from Wellington who travel to other towns to shop at its stores would now be able to do so locally, while there would also be a reduction in town centre traffic congestion.

Then site where the Lidl supermarket is being built had been earmarked as employment land for Swallowfield and Relyon, although they more recently announced they did not wish to relocate there.

Meanwhile, Lidl, which already has two supermarkets in Taunton at Roman Road and Castle Street, is targeting several towns across Somerset to open new outlets.

It has opened more than 20 new stores in the UK since the start of 2022 and is now looking for sites in North Taunton, Bridgwater, Cheddar, Frome, Shepton Mallet and Crewkerne.

A finder’s fee will be offered to members of the public who successfully identify suitable sites for new stores.

The amount will be either 1.5 per cent of the total freehold purchase price or 10 per cent of the first year’s rent for leaseholds.