A £20m retail development which will bring major new stores to Louth and create hundreds of jobs has been approved.
The market town will get its own Tesco, Home Bargains and Costa Drive-thru as part of the Northfields Park scheme.
The development will occupy a site across the A16 from Fairfield Industrial Estate and will feature 10 modern units, with a third of the space housing the retail giants.
East Lindsey District Council’s Planning Committee formally approved the plans at a meeting on Thursday.
They also include a car service and tyre unit, as well as a sales and servicing unit for agricultural machinery and goods, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Marcus Vinnicombe, property acquisitions and disposals director for Tesco Stores, said the branch would match the size of its store in Mablethorpe and include a petrol station and jet wash.
Marcus Allington, representing applicants Bride Hall Developments (BHD Louth), said the development would provide jobs and business investment, and that the company had worked closely with East Lindsey to find the right mix for the town.
“Tesco, Home Bargains, and Costa will provide a wider offer to the residents of Louth,” he said, adding that people appeared to be leaving the town to shop in Grimsby due to its better options.
Concerns were raised that the development would not be big enough to attract people from outside the area and could divert business away from the town centre.
However, Lucy Turner, a chartered town planner, said the retail and industrial park would create more than 300 full-time jobs as well as about 200 jobs during the construction phase.
“Unemployment rates in East Lindsey are higher than both the Lincolnshire and national averages,” she said.
“Our development will create job opportunities that cater to a wide range of skill levels.”
