AN INTERNATIONAL discount supermarket chain could open two new stores in Southampton, if council planners give proposals the go-ahead.

Lidl has applied to build its fifth and sixth city units on Brownhill Way – next to its £55 million regional distribution centre in Nursling, and at the site of the former Inchcape Jaguar Land Rover garage on Banister Road.

It currently has stores in the High Street, Shirley, Thornhill, and Woolston.

Both proposals were lodged with Southampton City Council at the end of last year, and will be put before the authority’s planning committee for approval, it has confirmed.

However, no date has been set for when the plans will be seen by councillors – leaving a timescale for the stores up-in-the-air.

The proposals for the two stores are part of a £1.45 billion national investment scheme.

And if approved, the Brownhill Way greenfield site – opposite David Lloyd Southampton – could be turned completely industrial, as plans for a health campus have also been submitted for another part of the site.

To be used mainly by University Hospital Southampton, as well as other health groups in the area, the site will deliver “world class healthcare services” as well as educate hospital and nursing home staff.

Plans also include a permanent 1,000-space park-and-ride facility which will serve employees of the hospital.

Nevertheless, as reported, plans for both new Lidl stores were revealed at the start of 2018.

Documents show that they will have 1,325m² shopping areas, as well as 129 (Banister Road) and 142 (Brownhill Way) parking spaces.

Lidl has even promised to create up to 80 new local jobs as part of the schemes.

However, the firm said it wouldn’t be commenting on the plans, apart from confirming that they had been submitted.

Nevertheless, before both proposals were submitted, the firm confirmed that it took on board resident’s views – with the Banister Road store being redesigned after local backlash.