Discount grocer Lidl has been given the go-ahead for a 414,000 sq ft regional distribution centre at Southampton.
The site, at the Barker Mill Estates next to the M271 and M27, needed planning permission from both Southampton City Council and Test Valley Borough Council.
Turley Associates, Lidl’s consultants, argued that there was a significant and pressing need to bring forward B8 floor space to support the sub regional economy.
Lidl has been looking for a suitable site in the Southampton area for several years. In 2009 it submitted plans for a 450,000 sq ft distribution facility at Wade Park Farm on the edge of the New Forest National Park.
However, that scheme failed to get the go-ahead and in December 2010 Lidl plumped for the Barker Mill site at Nursling.
The building will have both ambient and chilled storage and has been designed to include a variety of sustainable features, including a heat recovery system. It will be developed to achieve a BREEAM rating of Very Good.
The development will increase the efficiency of Lidl’s distribution network, providing a hub on the South Coast.
Stuart Irvine, a director in the Southampton office of Turley Associates said the approval was the result of “two years hard work negotiating with the local authorities to secure permission. The scheme is exceptionally well located in terms of its proximity to the strategic road network and the stores that it will serve.”
