Lidl giant in bid to destroy house

Controversial plans by discount supermarket giant Lidl to build a new store on redundant land in Wolverhampton could see the demolition of a 131-year-old house.

Tory group deputy leader Joan Stevenson, who represents Tettenhall Wightwick, has hit out at the discount supermarket giant for buying up the house and fencing it off alongside the vacant land.

She said the potential loss of Fern Place on Finchfield Hill would come as a blow for the city, which has a shortage of housing.

The light green-coloured house has a plaque on its front stating that it was built in 1876. There are around 3,000 elderly people who live in Tettenhall Wightwick.

Councillor Stevenson said: "Our ward has the highest number of retired people in the city. This site already had planning permission for a mixture of housing. I believe the previous resident of the house was elderly and that Lidl bought it from her.

Revised

"We do need housing, especially bungalows, and it is a shame that we could be about to lose a substantial house which looks to me to be structurally sound."

Lidl's application to develop the cleared 1.3-acre site of a former garage and car showroom was turned down by the city council's planning committee last week.

But the door was left open for the Europe-wide giant, which has its UK operation based in Solihull, to come up with revised proposals for the design of an outlet on the prominent site. Lidl spokesman Matthew King said that the proposed outlet had been professionally designed specifically for the site.

The supermarket's plan envisaged creating an outlet with nearly 800 square metres of shopping floor space.

It also included traffic calming measures and the remodelling of the busy junction, with two more pedestrian crossings.

But a 287-name petition and 44 letters of objection, including one from the ward's three councillors, have been lodged against the development.

Lidl was today unavailable to comment about their plans for the house.