Discount supermarket chain Lidl will hold a public consultation later this year to outline plans for a new outlet in Co Antrim.

The German retailer has lodged a proposal of application notice with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council for a store in Monkstown, Newtownabbey.

The site proposed by Lidl Northern Ireland is at former hockey pitches at Doagh Road beside Spirit Aerosystems.

Plans will be displayed at a public consultation event to be held at Monkstown Village Centre, on November 4, when preliminary drawings of the proposed development will be on display and interested parties will be able to discuss plans with the design team and provide feedback.

In February 2021, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council gave the go-ahead for a new £17.5m Asda supermarket at the former Nortel site at Monkstown Industrial Estate.

Meanwhile, a new £5.5m Lidl store and drive-through cafe, which is expected to create 13 new jobs, was given the go-ahead by Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Planning permission was approved for a replacement Lidl outlet at its existing Belfast Road, Carrickfergus, site and demolition of the current premises where Lidl opened in 2010.

The proposed new store would provide an expansion from 1,047 to 1,499 square metres.

A report to Mid and East Antrim’s Planning Committee said: “The proposed cafe will complement the existing retail, tourism, residential and commercial offering at this location and contribute to an enhanced and modern frontage onto the Belfast Road on the approach to Carrickfergus town centre.”