Budget supermarket firm Lidl UK has given an assurance that its current Felixstowe store will remain open if it is granted permission to build a second, larger supermarket in the town.

Ipswich Star: The site at Haven Exchange in Felixstowe where Lidl want to build a new generation supermarket.The site at Haven Exchange in Felixstowe where Lidl want to build a new generation supermarket. (Image: Archant)

Felixstowe Town Council has given its backing to the proposals for the new 29,000sq ft store at Haven Exchange, off Walton Avenue, and Suffolk Coastal is expected to make a final decision soon.

The 2.5-acre site site opposite Dock Gate One had earlier been earmarked by Asda for a new supermarket and filling station.

Bilfinger GVA, instructed by Lidl to prepare a report on the new store, said Lidl was considering closing its current store in Langer Road once the Haven Exchange store was trading.

However, planners were told the current shop would be retained because it provides “a valuable service and function for what is currently the more deprived area of town where car ownership is lower than the average”.

The foodstore complements other uses in the area, including the new Premier Inn hotel, and the council could impose restrictions to secure its future use either as a foodstore or potentially for community use.

Bilfinger GVA said: “Since submission of the pre-application request Lidl has reviewed its proposals for the town and decided that it will continue to trade at Langer Road.

“The store has traded very well and Lidl considers, having regard to the layout of the highway network and settlement more generally, that a second store at Haven Exchange will serve the western and southern parts of Felixstowe and that at Langer Road the northern and eastern parts.”

The new store is described by the company as as one of its Lidl of the Future concept stores featuring a sleek, modern design and state-of-the-art facilities. It will create 40 jobs.