A new Lidl store for
Tring
Lidl would like to open a new foodstore off Icknield Way in Tring. This store will offer easy access to Lidl’s discounted food offer, widening local customer choice and helping local residents with the rising cost of living.
Lidl submitted a fresh planning application in March 2023 after pre-application public consultation. This followed a detailed scheme redesign which addressed comments raised by neighbours during a previous planning application.
We received a positive response to the updated plans. Nearly 2,000 residents responded to the recent information leaflet which was distributed across Tring, with 89% of respondents in favour of the updated plans.
Now that plans are submitted, Lidl are encouraging people to have their say on Dacorum Borough Council’s planning portal. If you would like to see a new Lidl store delivered in Tring, it is important to have your say.
If you have any questions about Lidl’s plans, or would like help to submit your comments to the planning portal, please email lidltring@new-stores.co.uk or call 0800 089 0361.
View of store frontage from the customer car park 
We are proposing to build a high-quality, modern Lidl foodstore, which will provide a spacious and attractive shopping environment for our customers, and is designed to reflect its surroundings. The amended proposals include:
View along Sears Drive towards proposed store Lidl’s planning application will include a detailed Transport Assessment, which will be reviewed by Dacorum Borough Council Highways Team. The Transport Assessment takes into consideration issues such as Lidl’s expected busiest periods.
The site is well-located for the bus network, close to existing bus stops on Miswell Lane.
Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl GB has experienced continuous growth and today has over 28,000 employees, over 935 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales. Social responsibility and sustainability are at the core of the company’s daily operations, with the company placing a strong emphasis on its responsibility for people, society and the environment. Lidl GB is passionate about working with British producers and sources two thirds of its products from British suppliers.
Lidl first opened its doors in Great Britain in 1994 and currently has over 28,000 employees, over 935 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales. Lidl takes pride in providing top quality products at low prices.
The Lidl retail philosophy is focused on simplicity and maximum efficiency at every stage of the business, from supplier to customer, enabling the company to sell high quality own brand and well-known products at low prices.
We have pledged to invest £15 billion into British food and farming by 2025, with two thirds of our products coming from British suppliers, providing our customers with fresh, locally sourced, high quality produce at excellent value. 100% of our own-brand core eggs, milk, cream, butter, fresh beef and fresh primary chicken is British. We have signed the NFU Fruit and Veg Pledge and the Back British Farming Charter. All of our British fresh meat, dairy and fruit and veg is Red Tractor Assured.
Lidl GB sells over 100 different Fairtrade certified products throughout the year, from bananas originating from Colombia, tea picked in Kenya and cocoa for our chocolate, grown in Cote d’Ivoire. In addition to the products we sell all year round, we proudly support specific Fairtrade campaigns such as Fairtrade Fortnight.
The proposed store will create the equivalent of 40 full time jobs for local people.
On 1 October Lidl GB increased entry level hourly pay to £10.90 per hour with fixed annual uplifts.
All Lidl recruitment specifically targets our stores’ primary catchment areas (usually less than a five-minute drive from the store). This means that around 80% of the jobs will be filled locally, providing a real boost to the local economy.
The new store at Tring would feature our famous ‘Middle of Lidl’ products. Our ever-changing middle aisle offers customers the opportunity to purchase non-food household items at bargain prices. Click here to see this week’s offers.
The proposed store will meet Lidl’s high sustainability standards which are intended to minimise environmental impact over the lifetime of the store.
LIDL HAS COMMITTED TO BEING:
Good for Producers – including championing the British food and farming sector, focusing on our supplier relationships, human rights and ethical trade, and animal welfare
Good for People – including healthy eating, supporting charities such as the NSPCC and by becoming the employer of choice in our sector
Good for our Planet – by promoting a low carbon economy, minimising food waste, ensuring our supply chains are deforestation free and by reducing, recycling and re-using plastics and packaging
For more details on Lidl’s sustainability commitments, click here.
Lidl made several key amends to the proposed Lidl plans following feedback from neighbours. This involved the previous planning application being withdrawn and amends taking place before submitting a fresh planning application to Dacorum Borough Council. This includes:
We anticipate that traffic levels on Icknield Way will not be significantly affected by this proposed development as the majority of Lidl’s car-borne custom is drawn from traffic already passing by.
It is important to remember that supermarkets are not usually busy during the morning rush hour. During a weekday, we believe the peak hours for the foodstore will be between 4pm-6pm, Monday to Friday and 11am-1pm on a Saturday. The network peak is between 5pm and 6pm on a weekday and that hour represents the most robust test of the network once Lidl traffic has been added. Saturday peak flow levels do not exceed 85% of those of the weekday PM peak, but nevertheless, assessments have been carried out for the most robust combination of baseline plus Lidl traffic.
Our planning application includes a detailed Transport Assessment, which will be reviewed by Hertfordshire County Council’s Highways Team. This is supported by updated traffic surveys from November 2022 for comparison with those undertaken in April 2022.
We understand that the original proposal by Cala Homes was to reduce the speed limit to 40mph from the roundabout and 30 mph past the Sears Drive junction. Hertfordshire County Council did not support this, hence a reduction to only 50 mph. Lidl will lobby Hertfordshire County Council again for a reduction in the speed limit, on the basis that it will contribute positively to the active travel needs of future users of the Lidl foodstore and of existing residents.
Lidl will widen Sears Drive at the junction with Icknield Way to enable both a left and right turn out. Our highways assessment shows that there will be no issues getting to and from the foodstore onto Sears Drive during peak times, and that the Sears Drive/Icknield Way junction will operate well within capacity.
All highways amendments, including Lidl’s site access/egress, will be subject to independent Road Safety Audits at each stage of the technical approval process with Hertfordshire County Council to confirm suitability.
At the foodstore’s busiest time during a typical week, we anticipate that around 59 spaces will be taken on average. Our experience of stores elsewhere suggests that available parking here will be ample, with no need for shoppers to park elsewhere. With 102 spaces on the site, there is more than sufficient headroom to allow for the increased demand around Christmas and Easter.
It is anticipated that this foodstore would have two deliveries per day, rising to three during seasonal peak times. Waste and recycling are taken away on the return journey, reducing the number of servicing vehicles to the store. When a delivery is made to the store, a hood covers the back of the vehicle which means all unloading activity is done within the foodstore building, reducing noise associated with servicing the store.
Lidl has made a number of significant design amendments to minimise impacts on neighbouring residents.
A Noise Impact Assessment has been undertaken which indicates that noise associated with the foodstore’s operation, including deliveries, will have a minimal impact, given the existing noise levels from local highways and the industrial estate.
Lighting columns will have shields to ensure any light spillage is minimised and light will be directed away from neighbouring properties, into the car park. External lights are turned off around one hour after the foodstore closes. Internal lights have lux and movement sensors, which means that all main internal lights are also off when the store is closed.
There is minimal risk of privacy or ‘overlooking’ concerns from the Lidl foodstore, as windows along the Sears Drive elevation will be at a higher level and will not be accessible internally. There are no windows on the rear of the store or to the side (facing the industrial estate).
The mono-pitch roof is at its lowest point by Icknield Way Industrial Estate, rising towards Sears Drive. This will enable the PV panels on the roof to be concealed from the majority of public viewpoints. The roof, even at its highest, is directly comparable to the surrounding residential properties.
Lidl trollies require £1/token to release, which encourages customers to return trollies to the trolley bay.
The proposed Lidl foodstore has been designed to minimise visual impact on surrounding residential properties. The mono-pitch roof is at its lowest point by Icknield Way Industrial Estate, rising towards Sears Drive. This will enable the PV panels on the roof to be concealed from the majority of public viewpoints. The roof, even at its highest, is directly comparable to the surrounding residential properties.
We don’t believe that the Lidl foodstore will have a significant adverse impact on the town centre, but will instead provide further choice for local shoppers.
Lidl does not sell a wide range of products that you would find in town centre shops. Unlike the larger supermarkets, which typically stock in the region of 25,000-30,000 lines, Lidl’s product range is limited to around 3,000 items and mainly comprises own brand goods. Lidl sells a very limited range of flowers, over-the-counter medicines and newspapers and magazines. Furthermore, Lidl do not have an in-house pharmacy, fishmongers or meat counter, services which are often found in larger supermarkets. Lidl do not accommodate customer cafes or Post Offices.
A new Lidl supermarket would include enhanced environmental features with two rapid Electric Vehicle charging points – with in-built capacity for more spaces as demand increases. Solar panels (photovoltaic) will be installed on the roof, which will produce electricity alongside heat source pumps which will predominantly serve the energy requirements of the foodstore.
We received a positive response to the updated plans. Nearly 2,000 residents responded to the recent information leaflet which was distributed across Tring, with 89% of respondents in favour of the updated plans. However, it is really important to have your say to Dacorum Borough Council on the plans for a new Lidl foodstore off Icknield Way in Tring. You can register your support to Dacorum Borough Council in the following ways:
If you would like any assistance in how to support the plans, please email lidltring@new-stores.co.uk or call 0800 068 0361.
Lidl submitted a planning application to Dacorum Borough Council in March 2023. This followed a previous planning application which was withdrawn in order to make amendments to the scheme. A public consultation took place over the redesigned scheme and this is now with Dacorum Borough Council’s planning department who will make a recommendation on whether to approve the plans.
View along Sears Drive towards proposed store
View from Icknield Way towards proposed store 
