Council officials have called for a restriction on delivery times at the proposed new Lidl store in Dunfermline amid concerns that noise will be “very noticeable” to nearby residents.
Lidl wants to allow deliveries to the supermarket, which it hopes to build on the King Malcolm Hotel site, between 7am and 11pm, seven days a week.
It has lodged a planning application for the land on Laburnum Road, which is currently being considered by Fife Council.
Lidl argues that a fence will protect the nearest homes from noise during deliveries, and that “plant noise would (be) of low impact at all times of the day and night”.
However, concerns have still been raised that residents neighbouring the site would be adversely affected.
Officials from the local authority’s environmental health department say there should be a limit on the delivery times.
Fife Council official wants delivery times at new Dunfermline Lidl ‘controlled’
Responding to Lidl’s assessment of the noise impact, planning officer Don Taylor wrote: “While I appreciate the arguments for delivery noise affecting Elm Grove, I believe the deliveries in the early morning and after 8pm would be very noticeable to nearby residents.
“I would prefer to see those times controlled.”
The official also raises concerns about several “spelling mistakes and typing errors” in Lidl’s noise impact assessment, saying: “It casts a shadow on the validity of the calculations and conclusions.
“The report needs rechecking, and the numbers double-checked before we can have confidence in the conclusions.”
More details about the supermarket plans emerged this year, including a computer-generated image of what the store could look like.
Last month, The Courier revealed that Fife Council had asked Lidl for more time to decide the application.
The local authority now has until May 16 to decide on the application, including any restrictions on delivery times, but it may yet ask for a further time extension.
The Courier has contacted Lidl for comment.
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