Councillors get first sight of plans for multi-million pound supermarket and housing scheme for Market Weighton

An application for outline planning permission is expected to be submitted to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council early next year.

Wolds Weighton councillors Mike Stathers, Leo Hammond and David Rudd met agents for the developers on the grassland site which is to the west of the East Riding Council Business Centre and stretching south to the A1079. If successful, the scheme could bring hundreds of new jobs to the town and a significant amount of employment related investment.

Cllr Stathers described the initial talks as informative and encouraging.

He said: “The proposed scheme includes a Lidl supermarket with large car parking space to be constructed at the northern end of the site with a new access off York Road.

“Elsewhere, the scheme includes allocations for new employment related investment while the proposed development incorporates plans for an additional 120 or so new homes, including a proportion of affordable homes, at the southern end with access to the A1079 proposed via the Holme Road roundabout.”

All three Wolds Weighton councillors sit on planning committees and are therefore not allowed to ‘pre-determine’ their views on the planning application.

However, Cllr Stathers added: “It was encouraging to be invited to discuss the proposal with the developer at such an early stage and they are keen to hold a public consultation programme so that all interested parties can get a close-up view of the plans.

“We, as ward members, will want to look at the implications the development could have on such matters as traffic, landscaping, the environmental impact and housing density and style.”

Cllr Hammond said: “As we previously agreed with ERYC’s Head of Planning, because this is a new development ERYC officers will negotiate with the applicant for part of the site to be allocated for a new skate park.

“As ward councillors, we too stressed the importance of this with the applicant’s agent.”

Cllr Rudd said: “This proposal has great potential to create many local jobs, provide another supermarket giving people greater retail choice and more industrial development to complement the existing industrial estate which has been so successful.”