Carmarthen: Lidl store to open near Bulwarks monument

A police station built beside Civil War fortifications will be demolished to make way for a new Lidl store.

Lidl will relocate from its current Priory Street site to the empty police station at Friars Park, Carmarthen.

Members of Carmarthen Civic Society urged Carmarthenshire council's planning committee to reject the plans.

However councillors were told the store would have a "positive impact" on the Bulwarks monument and voted in favour of the scheme by a narrow majority.

Sally Bere, of the civic society, said the Bulwarks was given ancient scheduled monument status in 1982 "specifically to protect them from damage and the incremental development which is now being proposed".

Ms Bere said Lidl's proposal, which includes a 122-space car park, was too large for the site and fell short of the "high quality, bespoke design" required.

Lidl's plans had been deferred twice by the committee, pending advice from Welsh Government heritage experts Cadw, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Council officers said the latest advice from Cadw was the new single-storey Lidl would open up views of The Bulwarks compared to the current three-storey police station.

Carmarthen Town South councillor Gareth John said he was surprised at Cadw's conclusions.

Another objector, councillor Philip Grice, said air pollution would rise on the adjacent Morfa Road.

However, the county council said the change in traffic volume would be "negligible" and the new store would be closer to many customers than the current one.

Lidl will plant trees and other greenery to help screen the seven-metre high store, and erect information panels telling people about The Bulwarks.

Cadw has separately granted the supermarket consent to extend the current car park and widen the access road.