A new Lidl store in Oswestry will miss its scheduled pre-Christmas opening date after delays affected its development.

Work at the development site in Victoria Road was halted after it was discovered land there was contaminated.

The soil was found to hold contaminants left behind from when the site was used as a gasworks, while planning concerns over proposed vehicular access routes had also caused delays.

Matthew Farmer, Shropshire Council’s environmental resilience manager, said: “Given the historical use of the site and the potential for contamination, a condition was imposed on the decision notice which stated that no development shall take place until a site investigation, risk assessment and remediation strategy, is undertaken.

“The developer has undertaken investigatory work, and is remediating the site in accordance with the approved strategy.”

The delay is a setback to the Lidl company, which will miss out on the hectic Christmas trading period in the town, with a revised opening date set for early 2017.

Communications officer for Lidl UK, Sophie Lambert-Russell, said: “We have been working closely with Shropshire Council and the Environment Agency and all contaminated soil has now been removed from site where necessary and disposed safely and in accordance with regulations governed by Environmental Health.

“We would like to reassure the local community there are no public health risks associated with this.

“Unfortunately, the build has been delayed slightly and we now anticipate an opening date in February 2017.

“In terms of vehicular access to the site, we understand the store is situated on a busy junction and we are working closely with Shropshire Highways Authority to agree improved access arrangements including improvements to the existing junction outside our site.”

Elsewhere in the town, another discount retailer is planning to expand - less than 12 months after it opened.

Lidl’s German retail competitors Aldi says the creation of an entrance lobby and expansion of the canopy at its Shrewsbury Road store will provide a ‘buffer’ area for customers entering the shop, which opened in December 2015.

A statement submitted as part of the application says the new lobby will replace the existing internal lobby area.

It adds: “It will improve store circulation and the customer experience, particularly during inclement weather.”

As part of the scheme, the trolley bay and cycle hoops will be moved, but will continue to be covered.

The store is Aldi’s second in Oswestry, with its first store remaining in Beatrice Street.