Villagers take fight against Lidl store plans to Welsh government

Villagers battling against Lidl's plans to build a supermarket have taken their fight to the Welsh government.

The store, approved in 2024 by Vale of Glamorgan council, is planned for land at a junction which separates Llantwit Major and Llanmaes.

But an appeal was launched by residents who do not want the store built.

During closing statements of the appeal on Wednesday, Sioned Davies, for Countryside Matters, which is against the plans, said the proposal would shape how Wales treats development in the countryside.

She claimed the development would cause "real and acknowledged harm" to the landscape and blur the distinction between Llantwit Major and Llanmaes.

The project, she added, would result in "clear degradation of the rural environment" and would not be accessible on foot or by bike, thus doing "little to achieve" council active transport goals.

"The proposal is an unjustified major development in the open countryside... the benefits do not outweigh the harms," she said.

John Barrett, for Filco and Co-op supermarkets, said the proposed Lidl would be "out-of-centre" and change the "functional visual role of the site" irreversibly.