Tadley Lidl opening tomorrow

A new supermarket in Tadley will open its doors to customers for the first time tomorrow (Thursday).

Lidl on Aldermaston Road opens at 8am following a ribbon cutting ceremony that will be attended by the mayor and mayoress of Basingstoke and Deane, as well as pupils from Burnham Copse Primary School.

The new store will create around 40 jobs for the local community, and it will feature an in-store bakery, customer toilets with baby changing facilities and parking for cars and bicycles.

Lidl GB’s regional head of property James Mitchell said: “It is fantastic that we can open our doors and welcome everyone into our new store in Tadley.

“We have received overwhelming support from residents, and we would like to thank all those who have played a part in delivering this new store.

“We now look forward to serving our multi-award-winning products to everyone within the local community just in time for Christmas.”

Plans for the discount supermarket to be built were finally given the green light in July after a lengthy decision process.

West Berkshire Council turned the planning application down due to its greenfield site and it worried that it could set a precedent for future development.

However, the plans were given the go ahead following an appeal hearing in July.

Planning inspector John Longmuir approved the store and prioritised Tadley residents’ need for an alternative to Sainsbury’s on Mulfords Hill, saying the town risked becoming a “backwater”.

The decision was a welcome one for Tadley residents, many of whom have been in favour of the scheme since it was first put forward in early 2019.

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council leader Ken Rhatigan (Con, Tadley North, Kingsclere and Baughurst) said at the time that a “wrong” had been “righted”.