SUPERMARKET chain Lidl was approached by the owners of Hereford’s Three Counties Hotel four years ago, it has been revealed.

The owners have been in negotiations with the German chain ever since, Belmont Parish Council heard at an open meeting to discuss an application to demolish the hotel and replace it with a supermarket.

People living in south Hereford and beyond were given two minutes each to voice their opinions on the application at the meeting in Hereford’s Kindle Centre last night (May 5).

Some lived right behind the hotel and shared concerns for the air and noise pollution the supermarket will bring.

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One woman said she was worried for her family’s future.

“Who will be responsible for the emissions from the cars? Who is liable for the effects on my family?” she said.

Others reiterated the issues with traffic and potential accidents, which is the thrust of so many objections to the planning application.

Several people agreed it would not persuade people to walk, as Lidl’s application says, but would cause more traffic when people end up driving to the supermarket.

Many said they wanted the hotel to stay because it was the only social space in Belmont and how it had so many years left in it.

After people made their objections, Lidl did not have a chance to respond. But after the meeting finished the two spokespersons from Carney Sweeney, which is the planning consultancy for Lidl, said the information about the number of jobs was given to them by the hotel owner.

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They said the hotel owner had approached the company and the company had been in negotiations with them over the last four years.

We have approached the owner for a comment.

The room was not full at the Kindle Centre yesterday evening, but a parish councillor advised residents to find as many people as they can to place an objection on the planning application online.

The parish council for Belmont casted a vote on whether it would like to see the plans be approved – and all of them objected.