PLANS for new Lidl and Home Bargains stores in Birstall have been given the green light in what was a tight vote.

The proposals on land at Birstall Retail Park off the M62 went before Kirklees Council's strategic planning committee, where members voted through the scheme by four votes to three.

In addition it emerged that planners had taken fresh advice over whether the scheme would need to be referred to the Secretary of State for the final sign-off due to its out-of-town-centre location.

A last minute amendment shows that officers no longer believe it meets all the strict criteria for the referral and can be fully determined locally instead.

The application by Lidl is for two separate retail units, a 2,231m2 building for a Lidl supermarket and a 2,280m2 building to create a Home Bargains store.

Together, the stores are expected to create 75 full time equivalent jobs. The plans also include 174 parking spaces.

Ward councillor Elizabeth Smaje spoke to outline her concern that wider traffic issues were being overlooked.

She said: "At the moment we experience queues of traffic down the A62 at any time of day and if the motorway is busy or blocked the queues become longer. This affects estate roads as well, as vehicles try to find a way around the queues, and also affects the centre of Birstall and access to the shops there."

"The problem is that applications such as this only look at the part of the road network that directly links to their proposal."

Councillors on the panel raised similar traffic concerns, and highlighted issues over the busy nearby roundabout and practicalities of a new pedestrian crossing on Gelderd Road.

But they were advised the current plans were considered the "optimal solution" and they should only be looking at immediate highways issues in relation to these plans - not the wider area as a whole.

Highways officers also said they believed the plans would not generate significant new traffic.

Chris Darley, planning agent to Lidl, said they had worked to rebut the objection made by Tesco about the retail assessment which saw the bid being deferred last year - and they had demonstrated that all these concerns were "unfounded".

A section 106 agreement will now need to be signed, to include a number of planning obligations, such as a contribution of £160,000 to off-site highways work, which would fund a new crossing on Gelderd Road.

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