A NEW Lidl store and Costa Coffee are tipped to open on a key Shipley site, planning documents have revealed.

Outline plans for the development, on the Airedale Mills site in Salts Mill Road were given the go ahead back in December 2018.

Cardinal Limited, a Bradford-based commercial interiors company, which in 2016 relocated its production facility from the site to new premises in Battye Street, Laisterdyke, Bradford, following the 2015 Boxing Day floods, announced plans to redevelop earlier that year.

The land was previously subject to a planning application from Sainsbury’s, which was refused by Bradford Council in 2013.

It was part of a fiercely competitive three-way contest to build a new supermarket in the town. Bradford-based Morrisons won the battle, but later confirmed it was pulling out of the scheme for commercial reasons.

An application for engineering works, submitted by Morbaine Limited, says the developer is now in a position to progress with the detailed scheme.

It says: "Essentially, Stage One is a full application for the proposed Lidl food store and Costa Coffee cafe and drive-thru.

"In implementing this stage, we would effectively put in place all the necessary infrastructure that would then enable us (at a later stage) to come back and develop the remaining two retail units when occupiers are secured.

"We are hoping this may happen during the construction of Stage One so the two developments can be implemented seamlessly.

"However, at this stage there is no guarantee that this will happen.

"Therefore, to minimise disruption in the future (if the Lidl is open and trading) we also propose to undertake what we refer to as Stage Two works."

It adds: "The Stage Two works solely relate to the area of the site that will house the future retail units where an occupier or occupiers has yet to be secured.

"Rather than just fence this area off as part of Stage One, it makes sense to do all the necessary groundworks to level and stabilise that part of the site whilst the heavy plant and piling rigs are onsite for Stage One."

The letter reveals the new development would be called the Shipley Wharf Retail Park. The approved outline plans also showed a new plaza area giving pedestrian access to the scheme and a central walkway giving access to the River Aire.

The new Lidl and Costa will add to others which have opened across the district in recent years, including a new supermarket in Bingley and drive thru Costa on Canal Road.