PERMISSION for a new Lidl store in Ammanford has been granted – despite the county council’s own transport consultants recommending refusal over “the excessive level of parking”.

The development, beside the town’s police station in Foundry Road, is described as a “neighbourhood store” and will bring up to 30 new jobs, Carmarthenshire planners were told.

Its estimated annual turnover of £2.8m would soak up some of the cash leakage to “deep discounting stores” in neighbouring areas, including Cross Hands, said planning officer Andrew Francis.

Consent was granted on condition that Lidl contributes £10,000 towards the “vitality” of Ammanford.

Mr Francis said the modest “take” of the new store would not pose a threat to existing shops or harm the viability of the town centre.

The store will provide 112 parking spaces and will generate an estimated 138 two-way trips during weekend shopping peaks, said Mr Francis.

But it is thought that it will be 2025 before gridlock looms and traffic is actually queuing at the entrance to the store.

The decision was made despite the council’s transport consultants ARUP urging refusal because the plan provides too many parking spaces.

They recommend room for no more than 66 cars and claim the store’s needs could be met by Ammanford’s main Carregaman car park 200 metres away.

But the council argues that ARUP’s verdict is flawed because the existing car park is already well used in peak periods.

According to an environmental survey, otters in the nearby River Amman will not be harmed when the new store is built.

The riverbank behind the shop provides a dense habitat in summer, which would separate bargain-hunters from the protected creatures, the survey states.

It is thought that otters use a total of 12 sites along the River Amman for holts and resting-places.

Bats also came under the spotlight during the council’s investigation into the plan. They would not be affected, however, because, although they pass along the river corridor, they do not actually live in trees on the site.