WILTSHIRE Council has turned down plans by Lidl for an extension to its Devizes store because of worries over wildlife protection.

The store, in London Road, applied for permission to increase its sales area by 342sq m to provide extra storage space and 18 more car parking spaces.

The sales area currently covers 1,496 sq m.

But Bishops Cannings Parish Council objected to the plans saying it was worried about ecology and wildlife.

An objection from the parish council said: “A comprehensive ecological appraisal has been prepared and yet not one of the recommendations appear to have been incorporated into the landscaping plan.

“There has been no further reptile survey. We require one to be prepared because the site for the extension and new car park occupies the last remaining scrubland in the area. It is therefore very important that if reptiles are found here then they are moved or provided with habitat on site by amending the design.

“We object to this application because of the landscape plan in that it is non-compliant in regard to the enhancement of biodiversity. We suggest that this application be rejected.”

Wiltshire Council agreed with the parish council and turned the application down on the grounds that it contained insufficient information to enable it to accurately assess the impact of the proposed development on protected wildlife species.

Lidl in its report urged for permission to be given as it said two similar schemes had been given the go-ahead in the past.