PLANS for a new retail development on a brownfield site in Lidget Green have been unanimously approved by a Council committee.

The scheme will see the former Fields printers and packaging site, at Scott Works, Hollingwood Lane, become a new shopping site featuring an Aldi, Home Bargains, Heron Foods and a Marston’s family pub.

Outline plans for a drive-though Starbucks cafe and another unit for an as-yet-undisclosed retailer were also passed.

The Regulatory and Appeals Committee was read a letter of support from a ward councillor, Joanne Dodds (Lab, Great Horton), who said that the site had been “a blot on the landscape” for far too long.

In the letter, she said: “I was delighted with these proposals for Scott Works for a multi-million pound investment for Lidget Green.

“I can see it would be very beneficial for our area. In terms of location, it is perfect.”

Today's committee meeting heard two of the main objectors were rival supermarket firms Asda and Morrisons.

The meeting was told that Morrisons had lodged a last-minute objection on Monday evening, arguing that the retail development should be accommodated instead on the site of its former Hilmore House offices in Thornton Road, Girlington, Bradford.

Morrisons has had planning permission for a retail development there since 2015.

But planning officers said Morrisons had previously been approached about whether it would allow an Aldi to be built on the land and had said no.

Planning officer Malcolm Joy said: “They got permission in 2015. We are now three-quarters of the way through 2017. Why has it not been progressed?”

Asda representative Alan Jones told the meeting they had a number of concerns about the proposals.

He said the land was meant to be allocated for employment use and also raised highway safety issues, saying the car parking planned for the site was not adequate and would lead to overspill on local roads.

But Mr Joy said the site had previously had planning permission for a housing scheme that never materialised. He added that shops would create jobs.

Highways engineer John Rowley said they were planning to make a variety of adjustments to the roads, including traffic regulation orders and residents’ parking schemes, to stop an overspill of cars.

Steve Buckley, agent for applicants Quora Bradford Limited, said the development represented a “multi-million pound investment” in the local area and would create jobs for local people.

The committee unanimously passed the full application for the Aldi, Home Bargains, Heron Foods and Marston’s pub, as well as the outline plan for the extra retail unit and the outline plan for the Starbucks drive-through.

But it imposed a number of conditions on the plans which the applicants had objected to. This included a condition that the units could not be knocked together to create larger shops, or divided up to create smaller ones.

The drive-through is also being restricted for use by a coffee and sandwich shop only, so it cannot become a fast-food takeaway further down the line.