The opening of Richmond's new Lidl has been delayed by as much as half a year.

Last summer the supermarket giant was telling residents that it planned to open the Richmond Road store in the autumn.

In October, when contacted for an update, the company made no mention of the autumn opening goal.

Now that winter has arrived, Lidl is remaining equally tight-lipped about when the store will be ready.

A spokesperson told Richmond Nub News: "Construction of our Richmond store is still progressing and we look forward to updating the local community further in due course."

Deer Park School

Part of the development involves Outstanding-rated Deer Park School moving into the first and second floors above Lidl.

The primary school was aiming to move in this month (December) but will remain at its temporary site at the back of Richmond Adult Community College until the spring.

An update on the school website reads: "We are delighted to be moving into our new building for the Spring term, 2021. This is an exciting transition for our school and for our families, and we thoroughly look forward to joining the thriving East Twickenham community.

"Our next cohort of Reception children, in September 2021, will be the first to join Deer Park School without transitioning from our temporary site; we are excited to welcome them into our state-of-the-art premises.

"The new school building brings with it a plethora of diverse learning opportunities, from the purpose-designed art room to the astro-turf sports enclosure, and we can't wait for our children to learn and grow in this wonderful new setting."

Deer Park School's new premises comprise eight classrooms on the first floor and six classrooms on the second.

There will be outdoor learning spaces provided at the second floor and the reception classes will have a covered canopy.

When the school is at capacity in 2024, it will have places for 420 students and 55 full and part-time staff members.

Parents collecting and dropping off children will be encouraged to do so at first floor in the games area to prevent congestion on the public footpath.

Parking changes

The surrounding area is subject to a Controlled Parking Zone which gives priority parking spaces for residents, their visitors and businesses.

Currently, drivers must have a valid permit to park there between 10am-4.30pm, Monday-Friday.

Richmond Council has assessing the possible impact on parking that Lidl's arrival will have.

A letter from the council to residents said: "We wrote to you in March with the results of the parking consultation of Zone F which was conducted from July to September 2019 on the possibility of amending the operational days and hours of the controlled parking zone. This was in light of the potential impact that the new Lidl store and school in Richmond Road (formerly known as Ryde House) could bring to the area. We also consulted residents of Beresford Avenue and the adjacent uncontrolled section of Park Road to see if they would wish to join the zone.

"The decision was taken to defer any extension of the controlled parking zone's operational days and hours until after the new Lidl and school are open. It is currently understood that the store and school will open sometime early in the New Year."

Artistic impression of new Lidl and school

Watch a computer-generated video tour of the new supermarket and school complex here.

Lidl said: "The new build details a 1,123m² store on the 3,356m² site, with plans to create up to 40 new jobs.

"The supermarket will boast state of the art facilities including an in-store bakery, customer toilets and ample parking for both cars and bicycles."

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