Plans to open a new Lidl store near North Tyneside General Hospital are making progress.
If proposals for the supermarket on Rake Lane, in North Shields, are approved, it could help create up to 40 full and part-time jobs.
Lidl has lodged a planning application with North Tyneside Council for a 1,380 sq m store, including an in-store bakery, customer toilets, 116 car parking spaces and landscaping at the site.
A consultation about the scheme was held earlier this year. There was a public exhibition in January and more than 6,000 leaflets and feedback forms were distributed to residents in the area.
Lidl says 352 forms were returned, with 73% in support of the proposals, 20% with concerns and 7% undecided.
The discount retailer says that, in response to feedback from residents towards the south of the site, some new trees proposed for the area will now be repositioned and a new acoustic fence will also be included as part of plans to mitigate any potential noise issues.
David Murphy, the company's regional head of property, said: "We're very grateful that so many people were able to get involved in the consultation process and provide feedback on the proposals.
“The feedback has been very encouraging with many people wanting more local shopping choice, the regeneration of this vacant brownfield site, as well as the new jobs for local people."
