LIDL could soon be opening a third supermarket in the city, bringing 40 new jobs.

The budget supermarket chain has put forward plans to open a new store on the site of the current JVM Castings factory car park off Droitwich Road in Worcester.

As part of the plans, the casting specialists would demolish a small underused part of the factory and move its staff car park to the side to make way for the new supermarket.

This would be the city’s third Lidl with stores already open in Blackpole and Newtown Road – both of which are two miles or fewer away.

Plans submitted to Worcester City Council show a 2,206 square metre supermarket and would include a bakery and self-service checkouts.

A 112-space car park including six disabled bays and eight parent and child spaces would also be built.

A total of 40 full and part time jobs would be created by opening the new Lidl, according to the application form.

The existing car park to the front of JVM Castings would be moved to the side and behind the former Harvester site. A total of 125 car parking spaces would be provided for the factory. A small bay in the factory would also be demolished to make the new car park easier to access.

Councillor Mel Allcott, who has been a strong opponent of the proposed McDonald’s on the site of the former Harvester pub, said a new Lidl would “further exacerbate” traffic and congestion in Droitwich Road.

She said: “I fully oppose the McDonald’s application, on the grounds of increased traffic, disturbance to local residents, plus the damage to public health, yet another fast food outlet, close to a primary academy and many youth clubs, plus on the walking route to a secondary school.

“A Lidl store would further exacerbate the increase in traffic.

“I struggle to see how a retail outlet is sensible for Claines, when there is a large Lidl store very close by in Blackpole, plus the long standing Sainsbury’s and relatively new Marks and Spencers, plus more retail development ongoing in this area.

“I would much prefer to see new local enterprise, small start up businesses, with environmental ethos.”

If approved, the new Lidl supermarket could be one of several major plans due to be built in the area in the next couple of years.

City council planners meet next month to make a long-awaited decision on the new McDonald’s restaurant and drive-thru which has seen a number of delays.

The decision was already pushed back from October when it was first set to go before councillors due to the overwhelming response to the plan. Almost 400 people responded to the plan to build the new McDonald’s with the majority calling for it to be rejected. Hundreds spoke out against the plan saying a new McDonald’s should not be built near a school and would attract more litter and anti-social behaviour and a petition against the new fast food restaurant attracted more than 1,670 signatures.

A decision on whether to grant retrospective permission for a small part of Worcester Muslim Cemetery in John Comyn Drive off Droitwich Road is still to be made. If the permission is granted it would pave the way for a huge 785-plot three-part expansion including a new pavilion and a peace garden as well as a new building at its entrance to house a small office, mortuary, toilets and a washing area.

North Worcester Primary Academy, which was built on part of the old park and ride site opposite the site of the proposed Lidl supermarket, opened in September.

A new multi-million state-of-the-art hockey centre is also set to be built on land off Droitwich Road opposite Worcester Garden Centre.

The city council agreed to put the remaining land on the former park and ride site up for sale in March.

The new supermarket would open by the summer 2021 if plans were approved, Lidl say.

Consultation on the plans ends on December 11.

Details plans can be viewed via the planning section of Worcester City Council’s planning committee.

The application number is 19/00851/FUL.