Lidl expected to open in London Road, Swanley, in ‘early 2027’
There will be a car park with 91 spaces and a new five-arm roundabout from London Road. A request for outline permission to build 47 homes, including affordable housing, was approved at the same time. Work began on the construction of the new supermarket in September, and it has now been confirmed that it will be opening in early 2027 - with a date yet to be announced.
New drone images show the newly-built store with solar panels on its roof, with the car park still being created.
Picture: Barry Goodwin
Signage put up at the supermarket shows it will be open between 8am and 10pm Monday to Saturday, and between 10am and 4pm on Sundays. The site is bounded to the west by the back gardens of the housing along Beechenlea Lane, and is close to Junction 3 of the M25 and next to the A20.
The town already has an Asda, Aldi and Iceland, and the closest Lidl stores are in Dartford, around four miles away, and Orpington, which is around six miles away. It is hoped the new store will mean more choice for those living on the eastern side of Swanley and it will also create the equivalent of 40 full-time jobs.
When the plans were first revealed there were concerns raised over traffic and pollution.
Picture: Barry Goodwin
At the time, one person said: "London Road is a heavily used road which is already compromised due to its proximity to the A20 and M25 junctions and the Dartford crossing. "Traffic problems, which are frequent, result in a heavy build-up of traffic causing misery to the residents of Swanley." But a planning statement submitted with the plans said the positive impact would outweigh any harm.
Roadworks to construct the new roundabout have been approved to take place between June 8, 2026, and December 7, 2027. The first 16 weeks of preliminary works are due to take place on the slip road of London Road, leading to Moreton Industrial Estate.
This will involve telecommunications company Open Reach and gas company SGN moving their networks to make way for the new roundabout.
Dan Brown, spokesperson for SGN, said: "We need to reposition our pressure-regulating infrastructure to enable the new roundabout to be constructed. "Our work is due to start on Monday, August 17 and is expected to last approximately one month.
It will be carried out inside the developer's closure of the slip road." It is hoped the construction of the roundabout would take place soon after these works, with the majority of the work taking place off London Road to minimise disruption. Lidl says that, at this stage, its timelines for the works are still indicative and it is currently focused on the preparatory phases of the project.
CEO of Swanley Town Council Ryan Hayman said: "A new supermarket will create obvious employment opportunities and create welcome competition for the already established Asda, Aldi and Iceland stores in Swanley.
"It is positive that residents will have more supermarket choice on their doorstep, however we urge the store to implement trolley management measures to stop them from being littered across the town.
"In the lead-up to the opening of this new store with associated roundabout works, we would expect sensible traffic management plans in place.
"Alongside this we would like to see construction teams working around the clock to get the roundabout built quickly to minimise disruption to the public coming in and out of town."