A long-running proposal to build a Lidl supermarket in Middlesbrough could finally see the green light, as the project is set to be considered for approval next week when councillors reconsider the plans.
Lidl has been trying to secure permission for a store on the former Northern School of Art site at the corner of Green Lane and Roman Road in Linthorpe for several years. The development was first refused in 2023 by Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee. Later in 2024, an appeal was unsuccessful. After that, in 2025, Lidl submitted a fresh application, but councillors deferred a decision in April and requested Lidl to consider the implications of alternatives and traffic arrangements relating to the proposed closure of Thackeray Grove.
However, the planned closure of Thackeray Grove has become one of the most controversial elements of the scheme. Residents have raised concerns that shutting the road to vehicles could divert traffic onto neighbouring streets, including Kingston Avenue and Walton Avenue. Despite those concerns, council officers have once again recommended that the planning committee approve the application, subject to a Section 106 agreement.
Under the agreement, Lidl would contribute £28,000 towards highway works linked to the development. Council documents state that the funding would be used for access restrictions and associated Traffic Regulation Orders to address any issues relating to traffic flow, speeding and road safety arising from the closure of Thackeray Grove.
Planning papers also reveal that residents and Acklam ward cllr Luke Henman met with the developer to discuss seven possible road layout options. Additional measures requested by residents included the installation of a yellow box junction at Kingston Avenue and Green Lane, along with an extension of existing double yellow lines at the northern end of Kingston Avenue.
The council’s highways authority has described those additional measures as generally acceptable. Officers maintain that closing Thackeray Grove remains the optimum solution. They have also supported a proposed point closure on Walton Avenue, designed to prevent rat running through residential streets.
The final decision will be made by Middlesbrough Council’s planning committee when it meets at Middlesbrough Town Hall on July 2. Members of the public will be able to attend the meeting.
