Lidl appeals Cheadle Heath store refusal

Discount supermarket chain, Lidl, has launched an appeal after Stockport Council refused planning permission for a new store in Cheadle Heath, Place North West has reported.

The retailer’s plans for a new store on the site of Cheadle Heath Works on Stockport Road were knocked back by councillors in January 2025. The site has been unoccupied since being vacated by long-term occupants, Deanprint, which signed a lease on new premises at Lawnhurst Trading Estate in late 2022 after 105 years at the site.

Local councillors rejected the Lidl’s plans over traffic concerns, as well as a loss of potential employment space: the existing industrial unit on the space could support around 100 jobs, while the supermarket would only create 40 jobs. The design of the scheme also faced reproach for its appearance and failure to fit in with the surrounding urban environment, a criticism which Lidl have disputed in their appeal statement.

Prior to the council’s refusal, however, a petition in support of the scheme had garnered the support of over 400 local residents, which Nick Harvey, regional head of property at Lidl GB, said ahead of the planning decision demonstrated “the need for increased local shopping choice in the area.”

The deadline for final comments from both Lidl and Stockport Council to be submitted is in September 2025, with an inquiry date still as yet to be decided.