10:20am Monday 30th November 2009
A CONTROVERSIAL new supermarket will open its doors to customers on Thursday.
Lidl has built a 1,300 sq m shop, with 67 car parking spaces, on the site of the old Greenfields Club in Wigan Road, Westhoughton.
Bolton Council’s planning and highways committee granted the budget chain planning permission for the store in June, despite council officers recommending it should be refused.
work to demolish the club and build a the new shop began almost immediately.
Store chiefs had hoped it would be open before Christmas but the work has finished earlier than initially planned.
Marco Ivone, from Lidl, said: “The new Westhoughton store not only offers a value for money shopping experience to local residents but has also created 11 new jobs, which is positive news in the current economic climate.”
However, the store has split opinion in Westhoughton.
Residents living in The Fairways and Esther Fold, near to the site, campaigned against the plans.
They said the shop would increase traffic on an already congested road, cause light and noise pollution to surrounding households and take away trade from town centre shops.
But 433 residents, many from the nearby Washacre estate, signed petitions in favour of the scheme, saying it would bring more choice for those who wanted to shop in the town.
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