Lidl Beckenham will close in November 2023

A message from Cllr Will Connolly and Cllr Chloe-Jane Ross:

Like the many residents that have contacted us Beckenham Town & Copers Cope Liber are extremely sad that Lidl in Beckenham is closing in November 2023.  

News from Lidl Head Office

We contacted Lidl’s Head Office to find out what is happening and they have confirmed to us:

• That trading in the store will cease by mid-November 
• The reason for the store closure is that Lidl’s building lease has come to an end
• The landlord wishes to redevelop the site and Lidl is not included in the development plans
• Lidl are in active discussions with a nearby landowner to relocate the store in Beckenham
• Staff at the Beckenham store will be offered jobs at other stores 
• Customers can shop at their nearby stores in Bromley Town Centre, West Wickham, Bromley Burnt Ash Lane and Catford.

It is great news that Lidl are committed to staying in Beckenham and Lidl HQ reiterated their plans for a store here. We do not know where the new store will be located; we have asked, but it's doubtful that Lidl will be able to tell us if negotiations are in progress.

What the Council Planning department told us

We have also been in contact with the Council’s Planning Department with a number of questions about any planned development. The Council have confirmed that the site is suitable for redevelopment in principle, and we welcome new good quality and affordable housing. Other considerations we raised were:

• Protection of retail space: if a loss of retail was proposed this would need to be justified in line with policy requirements, particularly policies 94 and 99 of the adopted Local Plan
• Protection of the High Street frontage: as the High Street frontage is within a primary shopping frontage, we have an expectation that an active use was retained in the frontage (i.e. it should not be changed to residential)
• Development of the car park: it is possible to develop the car park, but again this would be subject to assessment against relevant policy, including whether the loss of parking would cause any impact on the local highway and consideration of any delivery and servicing impacts. If the car park is council-owned (we are waiting on confirmation of this) there would also be a loss of revenue to consider.

We will stay in contact with Lidl Head Office and monitor plans for development closely.  To keep updated on this scheme and other local news you can sign up for our regular email newsletter or email us to be added to the mailing list.

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