Supermarket's setback brings a Lidl relief for town's shopkeepers

Shopkeepers in a Suffolk town have told the BBC they are relieved to see supermarket giant Lidl's bid for a new store turned down.

Members of Babergh District Council's planning committee voted eight to one against the application to build a site on Lady Lane, Hadleigh.

Planning officers had recommended refusal due to the likely "significant adverse impact upon the health of Hadleigh town centre" and concerns around disposing of waste water.

Lidl has been contacted for comment.

Independent councillor Kathryn Grandon, who represents Hadleigh South, was one of those who voted against the proposals at the planning meeting.

She said she was "very keen" to protect the town's "fantastic" high street.

"If Lidl had been allowed it would have been an edge-of-town shop and people could have dropped in there and left again, whereas we want people to use our high street," Grandon said.

She said that the Co-op food shop in the town centre was currently the main store.

"People come there because they need something but while they're in the town they browse and go to our other independent stores," she said.

The councillor said the council had carried out a survey that showed the Co-op would be at risk if Lidl was allowed to open.

Richard Fletcher, president of The Hadleigh Society, said of the proposed supermarket: "It was very clear it would have a serious effect on the historic town centre of Hadleigh."

In March Eleanor Langridge-Brown took over a deli in the town that has been in Hadleigh for more than 40 years.

She said it was "scary" hearing about a supermarket wanting to open in the town as it could lead to her customers going elsewhere, but said she felt independent shops offered customers something unique.

"We spend time with them when they're shopping and get to know them really well and they've been really supportive," she said.

Emma Harris said her clothes shop was famous for its brightly coloured window displays but that footfall in the high street had suffered over the last 12 months, partly due to new parking charges introduced in January 2025.

The council claims visitor numbers have actually risen since the fees were introduced.

Harris, though, said seeing fewer people on the high street had a big impact on her business.

"We've built a reputation in this town because people like to come in and chat to us. I've built friendships through this business," she said.

Stuart Hasler, who runs a butcher's shop, said keeping a thriving high street was "very important to the community and the villages around Hadleigh".

He said large supermarkets trying to move to the town was a threat to businesses like his, as were online shopping and car parking charges.

Hasler believes good customer service is important for independent stores.

"It's about getting people in the shop, chatting to them and creating a friendship," he said.

Emma Howse, the owner of a health food shop, said the town had a long history of independent stores, which were "really important for the local economy" and supported local suppliers.

She said supermarkets "hold so much power" and offered products at a "price that we just can't compete with".

Howse said that would be tempting for customers affected by the "high cost of living currently".

Among others in Hadleigh, there are mixed opinions on whether refusing Lidl's planning application was the right move.

Neil and Sandra Clarke said they were happy to see it rejected as it could "kill the high street".

Sandra said she could see people not visiting the town centre if a supermarket offered free parking.

But Janet Clarke thinks Lidl should have been allowed to open.

"The town is rapidly getting bigger; surely this is an opportunity to grab," she said.

"We are losing shops in our high street at a huge rate. I have gone from popping into town for the odd bit three or four times a week to once a week, if that."

Planning documentation for the proposal said around 10% of shops in Hadleigh town centre were unoccupied.

This is not the first time that Hadleigh has rejected a new supermarket.

In 2013 a 26-year campaign against a proposed Tesco store came to an end with the retail giant scrapping plans to move to the town.

Jan Byrne, who is now 90, led the Hands Off Hadleigh campaign and still lives in the town. She said many of the concerns from then remained today.

"I think the town is already well supplied and the money spent in the new shop has to come from somewhere, which means others lose out," she said.

Byrne said Hadleigh was a "very friendly town" that attracted all sorts of people to live there.

She said she did not have many concerns about currently empty stores.

"There is always a turnover and there may be holes now but history tells me next year they are likely to be filled," she said.

Do you have a story suggestion for Suffolk? Contact us below.

Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.