Councillors seemed set to defy planning officers' recommendations by approving a controversial bid to build a Lidl in Herne Bay - until they voted at the eleventh hour to postpone their decision.

The budget supermarket chain launched a fresh bid to build a 2,125 sq m store with 125 parking spaces on land neighbouring the Greenhill roundabout in November.

However, all but two of the councillors at tonight’s planning committee meeting voted in favour of delaying a decision.

Swalecliffe representative Ian Thomas said this would allow the local authority to secure the necessary "contributions and safeguards" from Lidl if the application does get granted.

"The officers haven't negotiated this because they recommended refusal," he said.

"But deferral would allow them to draw up two lots of terms and conditions - one for refusal and the other if it is accepted.

"At the moment, there is the absence of Section 106 agreements and the absence of a contribution to public open space."

The committee was considering a recommendation made by planning officers to reject the proposals for the supermarket.

In their report, they argued the site, which contains an area of “protected open space”, acts as a “visual buffer alongside the Old Thanet Way” - the same reason why Lidl's bid to build a store on a neighbouring plot was rejected last year.

Cllr Ashley Clark, who voted against the original plans, voiced his support for the fresh bid.

He said: “The refusal last time was fully justified, but that was for a very different application.

“The area here is not open space in the true sense of the word - there are buildings on it. There's nothing open about somewhere you can garage vehicles.

“We have an untidy and unsightly area here that will be cleared up and improved by the development.”

The planning officers also mentioned in their report that the retail forecasts, which were used to shape the district’s Local Plan in 2017, show “there is not a need” for the supermarket.

But Cllr Clark argued that the supermarket would provide “a significant community benefit” to residents in Greenhill.

Herne and Broomfield councillor Robert Jones echoed the sentiment, stating that those living in the area currently "have to travel into town, to Chestfield or to the Sainsbury's in Broomfield" to do their shopping.

The local authority received 360 letters of support for the application from residents living close to the site, and just 20 objecting to it.

Lidl also says it had more than 4,100 responses to its own public consultation, with almost 84% of them in favour of the scheme.

The committee will meet at a later date to vote on the application.

The chain has also lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate against the decision last year to refuse its original bid, with the inquiry set for June 18.

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