A Pembrokeshire supermarket will be nearly a half bigger and employ up to 40 people after plans before the County Council were approved.

In an application recommended for approval at the October meeting of Pembrokeshire Council’s planning committee, Lidl Great Britain Limited sought to demolish the existing Lidl foodstore and adjoining properties – including the Enterprise Rent-a-Car unit – at Great North Road, Milford Haven, building a new Lidl foodstore with associated works.

The car park will provide 93 spaces, including six disabled spaces, nine ‘parent & child’ spaces and two EV charging spaces, an increase in overall provision of 11 spaces.

A supporting statement through agent CarneySweeney said: “Lidl has outgrown its existing premises which no longer meets modern shopper requirements, and a larger store is sought to better serve local customer demand.

An officer report accompanying the meeting said: “The car rental premises is a former petrol filling station and underground storage tanks are understood to be situated beneath the site. These are to be removed.”

At the October meeting of PCC’s planning committee, members were told the proposal would lead to a 45 increase in the store’s retail sales area, the investment replacing the existing ‘first generation’ Lidl store, believed to be the discount chain’s first store in the county, with an expected “30 per cent increase” in jobs when the development is built.

Approval was moved by Cllr Brian Hall, who said: “I think this will be a vast improvement for that area of Milford Haven.”

Plans for a new Lidl supermarket in Milford Haven have been approved. Picture: Pembrokeshire County Council webcast.
Plans for a new Lidl supermarket in Milford Haven have been approved. Picture: Pembrokeshire County Council webcast. (Pembrokeshire County Council webcast.)

He was seconded by Cllr Rhys Jordan who remarked: “I think it will be very welcome to the people of Milford Haven, given the cost-of-living crisis there’s been a huge increase in the use of these stores.”

Another welcoming the proposal was Cllr Mark Carter, who said: “Milford Haven has more people living in it than Haverfordwest, but has a choice of two major supermarkets at the moment, Haverfordwest has four.

“It’s going to have a modern, fresh frontage to it which will brighten the area up; it will provide the people of Milford Haven with a better choice of goods to buy; I fully support this application.”