A retail assessment conducted into plans for a new Lidl on the outskirts of Lampeter has said the town needs another supermarket.

This assessment contradicts a Ceredigion County Council report last year when Aldi proposed building a store in the town.

Ceredigion planners concluded that there was no “quantitative or qualitative need for the proposed foodstore in Lampeter,” and would have a “major detrimental impact” on other stores.

Ceredigion’s planning committee agreed with its officers and the application for an Aldi store at Pontfaen was rejected in March last year.

Supermarket rival, Lidl, has submitted plans to build a new store across the border in Carmarthenshire, who are currently considering the application.

A retail assessment, conducted by Carney Sweeney, a planning consultant for Lidl, say ‘updated quantitative analysis confirms there is clear expenditure capacity within the Primary Catchment Area (PCA) and across the study area to support the proposed Lidl store’.

The report goes on to say: “Benchmark analysis demonstrates Sainsbury’s at Market Street is trading substantially

above company levels, this further highlights a lack of local competition and need and also indicates resilience to the trade diversion assessed.

"Evidence from household surveys, local representations, and the Carmarthenshire Retail

Study confirms the local deficiency and the strong qualitative need for a local retail offer to serve the north of the county (Carmarthenshire).

"Residents currently undertake lengthy round trips to access LAD formats, incurring time, cost, and environmental impacts.

"The proposed store will address this deficiency, materially reducing out-commuting, improving choice and affordability, and deliver wider social and economic benefits, including job creation and regeneration of a long-vacant committed retail site.

"Lampeter town centre is found to be healthy and diverse, with no evidence of fragility.

"The proposed store’s forecast diversion from Sainsbury’s (and Coop) is well within

acceptable levels, particularly given the strong trading position. This has been tested by way of a sensitivity test which demonstrates Lampeter centre is well placed to withstand increased competition to Sainsbury’s.

"There is no evidence the proposal will undermine investment. On the contrary, the development is local investment at a sequentially preferable site.

"It will deliver economic, social, and environmental benefits and support the vitality and viability of Lampeter town centre."

Both Sainsbury’s and the Co-operative have submitted formal objections to Carmarthenshire County Council, saying ‘There is no qualitative or quantitative need for the Lidl food store.’

This was the same argument put forward by Ceredigion County Council’s planning department when an application for a new Aldi store was rejected.

Ceredigion planners added that the Aldi store would have “a major adverse impact on both Aberaeron and Llandysul town centres, with losses of around 10 per cent of total convenience trade predicted.”

Despite gaining a lot of support from the local community, Ceredigion planning officers said in their report that public support was 'immaterial to the decision making'.

Lidl says the new store will bring 40 jobs to the area and the application has received wide support from residents and community groups.

Carmarthenshire County Council planners will consider the application later this year.