Trim Lidl extension appealed to An Bord Pleanala

The granting of planning permission for an extension to the Lidl supermarket in Trim has been appealed to Bord Pleanala. Meath County Council granted permission to Lidl Ireland Ltd for extensions and modifications to the existing Lidl discount foodstore on the Athboy Road, including a single storey pitched roof extension of 318sq metres to the north of the existing approved retail, and store areas and associated internal modifications. Also in the plans are a proposed flat roof entrance portico and integrated storage room of 21sq m, as well as two building-mounted backlit illuminated signs, the replacement of the existing gable and fascia cladding with zinc cladding, and a modified car parking layout to provide 102 car parking spaces. The granting of planning permission has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Cornelius Leonard, Whitehall, Commons, Railway Road, Trim, whose home is located beside the Lidl supermarket. The appeal on behalf of Mr Leonard states that no consideration was given to the overshadowing of the Leonard property by the proposed new extension. At present, the appeal states that there is overshadowing in the corner of the garden only but that the proposed new extension would completely overshadow the garden beginning at 3pm and would fully cover it by 6pm. It also raises security issues over the boundary wall as the Lidl site is higher than the appellant’s site, leaving it easy to access the appellant’s home. The appeal also states that the Leonards have lived in their home since the early 1960s and that, since the arrival of Lidl, the enjoyment of their property has been “seriously diminished” due to the impact of the structure and the amount of noise from refrigeration and chiller units. They say the further extension would only heighten these problems. Another issue raised is the use of neon signs which, the appellant says, are not suitable for a heritage town. A decision is due on the appeal on 21st February 2011.