The High Court has granted the supermarket permission to go ahead with the plans to open the boozer in its Dundonald store in County Down near Belfast
Lidl is set to open its first ever pub inside of a UK supermarket store – and shoppers will be able to drink on site.
The High Court has granted the supermarket permission to go ahead with the plans to open the boozer in its Dundonald store in County Down near Belfast. The venue will feature both bar service and off-sales which aims to create a “vibrant atmosphere” for the Dundonald community.
Lidl secured planning permission back in 2020 for a tap room to be installed on the premises. At the time, Lidl planned to reach an agreement with the owners of a local bar to take over their licence. Under Northern Ireland’s licensing laws, no new alcohol sale licence could be granted unless another one was surrendered. In addition, it was set to invest £410,000 in a new in-store pub and an off-sales area.
However, another trader, Philip Russell Ltd – which operates several off-licences across Northern Ireland – raised formal objections to the plans. They argued that Lidl had failed to show there were “inadequate licenced premises” near the site as required under the Licencing (Northern Ireland) Order 1996.
They also claimed it was an improper attempt to bypass legislation by effectively making another application for an off-licence. In the ruling, Mr Justice Colton dismissed the claims and determined that Lidl had established the necessary inadequacy as the new premises would be the only licensed venue in an area that previously had two pubs. The judge added: “The fact that the application is a novel one is not a reason for refusing it.”
The location was also deemed suitable due to its proximity to established shopping and transport facilities alongside the growing adult population in the area. In his final ruling, Justice Colton accepted Lidl’s commitment to operating a genuine public house plus off-licence at the location.
He said: “It may well be that it will not meet the full demand for licenced premises within the vicinity given its size and lack of food provision. That, however, does not mean that (Lidl) fails to establish inadequacy.”
The judge noted that Lidl’s £140,000 investment plan was a “significant sum of money”, adding: “I accept that it has concluded that the public house will be profitable, knowing that if it closed through lack of profitability an evitable consequence would be that the off-licence permission would lapse following any such decision. I am satisfied that it meets the statutory requirements and there is no good reason for refusing the application.” Lidl has yet to confirm when the new pub will be built, or an approximate opening date, and if any new plans have been in the time since 2020.
