Work on the new Lidl store at the Anglia Retail Park off Bury Road at the edge of Ipswich could start as early as next month.

The building project is due to take 24 weeks - and the store is keen to be open in time for Christmas shoppers.

The development passed another significant landmark last month when Lidl formally applied for a drinks off licence for the store.

That is not likely to be a major hurdle after the store itself was granted planning permission last year.

The store is being built by the owner of Anglia Retail Park, Ipswich Borough Assets, and will be on the site of the former B&Q garden centre.

Ipswich Star: The new Lidl will be a separate building on the red footprint in the top left of this picture.The new Lidl will be a separate building on the red footprint in the top left of this picture. (Image: Ipswich Borough Assets)

That is the last part of the main park that has not been developed.

IBA chair Colin Kreidewolf said: "The construction is a 24-week contract and it is due to start in the second quarter of this year (April-June). 

"That doesn't mean the diggers move in on April 1 - but Lidl is keen to get it open in time for the Christmas period."

IBA is owned by the borough council - and the new Lidl is expected to seal Anglia Retail Park's position as one of the town's most popular shopping centres.

It will be the third Lidl in Ipswich - alongside the Futura Park store, which replaced the small Ravenswood supermarket last Christmas, and the site at the junction of London and Handford Roads.

The German-owned discount retailer is currently in the middle of a four-year expansion programme across the UK.

It has not identified any other potential new sites in Suffolk - but as it increased the number of its stores across the country, it is thought possible that it could turn its attention to other local towns between now and 2025.