'We will be homeless:' Anchorsholme residents and officials vow to fight Lidl car park plans

Two Cherrywood Avenue and six Anchorsholme Lane West, both of which are occupied, would be knocked down if Lidl's plans went ahead.

The application to add 22 extra parking spaces by demolishing the detached houses was submitted to Blackpool Council by Lidl on July 31.

It came after a similar application for a car park extension at the Anchorsholme store was rejected by planners in 2016.

But now Lidl said sales at the store had gone up by 40 per cent, and extra spaces were needed to accommodate the increase in shoppers.

Andy Jones, 49, tenant at 2 Cherrywood Avenue, explained that he and his 12-year-old son Kian would become homeless if Blackpool Council gave the extension the go ahead.

"I have COPD and a heart condition, and I moved here from Wigan 18 months ago to live closer to the sea for my health, I need a respirator eight hours a day," Mr Jones said.

"Kian has just moved here too and is about to start at his new school in September. If these plans are approved we'll be homeless and will have to live in a hotel.

"I had to live in a hotel before I moved to Anchorsholme, nobody would let me rent a property because I can't work due to my health issues.

"Lidl's car park is never full. Nobody has spoken to us about this, and I'm not happy about it at all."

Thornton resident Tracey Cryer also hit back at the plans, with concerns for her elderly mother Anne's welfare.

Tracey said: "My mum is 87 and her back garden fence runs behind Lidl car park. She doesn't need this at her age and she hasn't been well.

"Her house is so close that she would have to suffer with all the building and the noise. If they were concerned about a lack of parking spaces they could put parking restrictions in, but they haven't."

Anchorsholme councillors coun Tony Williams and coun Paul Galley objected to initial car park plans in 2016, which they echoed for the current application.

In a joint statement, they said: "This is the second time Lidl has applied to extend its car park, its first application a few years ago was thrown out.

"We will both be objecting to this recent application and hopefully this will be rejected too. The problem with both applications is it wants to demolish two beautiful homes and extend the car park into a quiet residential street.

"It's just not necessary or suitable. We have already been contacted by lots of residents who are also objecting to this application."

Blackpool North and Cleveleys MP, Paul Maynard, agreed with residents' and councillors' objections.

"I am concerned to hear that Lidl has returned to these plans and understand the frustration and concerns of local residents," Mr Maynard said.

"With demand for quality, affordable housing as high as ever and with open spaces being lost to construction, it seems counter-productive to be demolishing houses to extend a car park.

"I would encourage Lidl to look at alternative options to manage parking on its site, as other retailers have successfully managed."

A spokesman for Lidl GB said: "We can confirm that an exploratory planning application of our Anchorsholme store has been submitted, but we have no immediate plans to make any changes.

"We want to reassure residents that we will consult closely with them well in advance of any developments to ensure a smooth transition and minimise any potential disruption."