Plans to close off a Middlesbrough “through road” have been described as “lunacy”. Permanently shutting Thackeray Grove to traffic is part of the proposal being put forward by Lidl as they seek planning permission to build a new store on the former Northern School of Art site in Linthorpe, but nearby residents on Kingston Avenue and Walton Avenue have serious safety concerns.
Residents of the narrower streets are incensed by the idea, as well as what they describe as Lidl’s refusal to engage on the matter. Bobbie Jameson is one of the residents on “little” Kingston Avenue who is unhappy, describing Thackeray Grove as easily “twice as wide”, as well as having much wider pavements. The 74 year old highlighted a petition of over 100 signatures, part of an unsuccessful attempt to try and get a meeting with the discount supermarket chain.
Acklam ward Councillor Luke Henman (Lab) has campaigned for a different road closure, although his efforts so far have been futile. Lidl has said that residents’ comments “have been heard” and that discussions are ongoing to “fine tune” the designs, adding that an update will be given to the local community.
Views on Lidl’s wider Linthorpe proposals are varied, as the consultation process showed, with almost 200 responses back in autumn 2025. On the ground on Kingston Avenue on a sunny March morning, there was acceptance, some of it begrudging, that a Lidl store was coming. The battle now relates to road closures and agreement amongst residents that the closure of Thackeray Grove would be a major safety issue for neighbouring streets, with fears of traffic “tripling” and worries about speeding cars.
More than 20 residents turned out on 4 March, to voice their unhappiness. The problems were particularly clear at school drop off time for Green Lane Primary Academy, as the road filled with parked cars, leaving a space wide enough for just one car to journey down the middle of the road.
Residents highlighted how, as it is, there isn’t enough room for a fire engine and spoke of the bin wagon struggles. Sue Moore, 58, explained how last year, when her mother was ill, the ambulance couldn’t get down the street, and had to go down Thackeray instead.
Cars have to park by mounting the pavement on Kingston Avenue, just to leave room for single file traffic on the road, with residents highlighting how there is then very limited room on the pavement, citing concerns for push chairs and a young wheelchair user. The bend where Walton Avenue becomes Kingston Avenue is such that cars turn in the middle of the road, causing a risk when vehicles are travelling in both directions.
Another concern, raised by Brad Nicholson, a 68 year old retired offshore worker, was the traffic island on Green Lane, just past the Kingston Avenue junction, meaning that it is hard to turn right “without curbing the wheel”, which would certainly cause problems for lorries, like the one that turned out of Thackeray Grove during a visit.
Past Lidl plans for this site were rejected by councillors in late 2023 and the resulting appeal was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in autumn 2024. While closing off Thackeray Grove was a recommendation from Middlesbrough Council highway engineers, Cllr Henman emphasised that it is Lidl’s planning application and the council had been very clear that if there was a desire to change the plans, “that’s Lidl’s business”. Cllr Henman found Lidl’s lack of willingness to change plans “frustrating”.
Residents had different potential solutions, with some advocating the addition of traffic lights to manage traffic flow. Long time resident Dave Parvin said that over the 44 years that he had lived here, he could not remember a serious incident on the Thackeray junction, adding: “Just leave it as it is.”
On a separate matter, TVCA has led the scheme for a cycle lane along Green Lane, with previous proposals including the plan to close off Thackeray Grove, with an ongoing wait for an amended proposal. Cllr Henman believed the bigger battle was with Lidl, as it’s “easier” to put pressure on TVCA and Middlesbrough Council.
A Lidl spokesperson said: “We want to assure residents that their comments have been heard and are being fully considered by our store development team. The planning application is still being assessed by Middlesbrough Council officers, including highways, and we are in discussions with council officers to fine tune the designs. Once we have received input from all parties, we’ll be sure to update the local community.”
