A question mark still hangs over the future of a planned Lidl on the site of a former car dealership. 

The German supermarket chain lodged an application in May last year to take over a former car dealership site for the new store, but the plans are still yet to be determined. 

Lidl wanted to demolish the former Busseys in Yaxham Road, Dereham, for the project, after the car dealership moved out of the town last April. 

Dereham Times: The existing Lidl store in Kingston Road, DerehamThe existing Lidl store in Kingston Road, Dereham (Image: Archant)

But Breckland Council said its planning committee was still yet to consider the application, and a date for the meeting when they would meet was still yet to be set.

Lidl has not replied to our request for comment. 

READ MORE: Thousands of Lidl workers could get pay rise of up to £2,000

The plans have drawn some criticism from nearby residents, with one lodging an objection which read: "This is a ridiculous application. There is already significant congestion in this area and the existing traffic entering and leaving the site has
difficulties.

Dereham Times: The former Busseys dealership in Yaxham Road, DerehamThe former Busseys dealership in Yaxham Road, Dereham (Image: Archant)

"Entirely the wrong place for a retail store such as Lidl. The whole area would end up gridlocked."

Breckland councillor Alison Webb said in another submission she was also concerned about traffic, as the area was already a "bottleneck" for traffic.

READ MORE: New supermarkets on the way for Norfolk - But where will they be?

"I support expanding the store to give employment opportunities but mitigation must be sought for the traffic challenge in that area already," she said.

Dereham Times: Breckland Councillor, Alison Webb Breckland Councillor, Alison Webb (Image: Gary Donnison Photography 2021)

A Dereham Town Council comment said: “Without the signalised roundabout (or some other intervention) the Tavern Lane Junction is therefore already predicted to have a severe impact on the network."

The application says access to the site would be via the existing priority junction off Yaxham Road, which is shared by the Halfords store and the other retail units. It says the junction would be improved to form a right-turn lane into the development site.

The application says: "There are no highways or transportation-related reasons upon which a refusal of the planning application for the proposals would be justified."