Councillors will tonight decide whether to allow supermarket giant Lidl to build its UK headquarters in Tolworth – a move that could create numerous jobs for the borough.
A planning application to build the 22,946sqm headquarters with 445 parking spaces at the former Hook Venturer Sports Club, in Jubilee Way, will be presented to a development control committee at the Guildhall at 7.30pm.
It is estimated the development could bring with it about 750 jobs.
Wednesday, September 23: Plans for Lidl's Tolworth head office met with approval
Saturday, October 8: Fears City Hall affordable homes policy could swing Tolworth Toby Jug redevelopment plan
Tolworth councillors Chris Hayes, Ian George and Richard Hudson described the site as “quite exciting” but acknowledged there could be traffic concerns in the area.
They posted on their website: “The modern building design won’t please everyone, but at least a tall tower is not being proposed.
“On the face of it, this application is quite exciting, bringing over 750 jobs to the area, along with the generation of investment into the local economy.
“The borough has lost some big employers of the years and this could be seen as a bit of a coup for Kingston.
“However, there is a concern about traffic generation and parking. It is of course on a very busy stretch of road, not far from the ultra-busy Tolworth roundabout.”
In July, plans to build 705 homes on the nearby Toby Jug site were rejected by councillors with density and traffic congestion their biggest concerns.
Developer Meyer Bergman is expected to return with an even larger application in the coming months.
The cut-price supermarket chain agreed a £10m deal for the land with Kingston Council in July last year.
The headquarters plans displaced the former Jubilee Way motor track which had been running from the site for 14 years.
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