Little progress made at multi-million pound supermarket set for busy road in Northampton

A supermarket company building a multi-million pound store on a busy road in Northampton is still unable to confirm a timescale for development.

Plans to demolish a former office block in Kettering Road North and build a new Lidl supermarket in its place were approved in September 2022, with demolition works starting in February this year.

However, there has been little progress since the demolition other than a clean up job, which has left Chron readers to get in touch and ask what’s going on.

One Chron reader said: “After clearing the site in Kettering Road North for the new Lidl store no work has been done since.”

Replying to this newspaper’s request for an update, a Lidl spokeswoman said: “The demolition phase is underway but we’re not yet able to confirm any exact timescales for the development. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as we have any further updates to share.”

This is the same response this newspaper received when we asked for an update in February.

The planning application was first submitted in November 2020 and received 195 objections, mainly raising concerns with the likely traffic increase in the area.

Conservative councillor Mike Hallam, of the Parklands ward, was one of the 195 objectors, who said he had “concerns about the increased level of traffic this will bring to an already extremely busy section of the Kettering Road”.

However WNC said in planning papers that the proposal ‘is considered to be acceptable on highway safety grounds’.

The supermarket's recommended opening hours are: Monday – Saturday from 8:00 am to 10pm; Sunday from 10am to 4pm; and public/Bank Holidays from 8am to 10pm.

It will become the fifth Lidl in Northampton, joining the current stores in Weston Favell, Sixfields, Far Cotton and Duston.

The construction time frame is in stark contrast to the new Lidl in Harlestone Road, Duston, which took nine months in total from demolition to opening date.