Work on Purbeck’s new Lidl store at Sandford in Dorset may have been halted for the holidays, but a countdown to a love match with locals has started in earnest.
Unofficial word from the building site near Wareham is that only about six weeks worth of work is left to be done before the 1,400 square metre supermarket opens its doors, which could be around Valentine’s Day on Saturday 14th February 2026.
New road signs in Sandford now confirm a foodstore is on the way
Trees and landscaping plants are ready to be planted on the site
A controversial planning journey
During a controversial planning journey, more than 4,000 local residents had their say on the scheme to build on a field next to Pottery Lines in Sandford, which is designated as green belt land but had been used for an annual two-week funfair at the end of summer.
While there were many objections from those who were concerned about additional traffic congestion, a loss of trade in Wareham town centre, and those who didn’t want to overlook a supermarket, there was also a lot of love for the proposal.
Many welcomed a budget supermarket on a bus route, which would finally bring cheaper prices and more choice to Purbeck families.
In March 2025, as planning permission was confirmed, an ecology team moved on site to relocate lizards
Once the site was clear of wildlife, work began in early June 2025
By the end of July, site preparation was well under way
One of the biggest responses ever
It was one of the biggest responses ever to a Dorset planning consultation with more than 75 percent of local responses to the planning application in favour of the new Lidl store.
Dorset councillors then began to question the advice they were being given by their own officers, to refuse permission to build.
Eventually, on Wednesday 6th November 2024, the Dorset Council eastern area planning committee granted permission by the most slender of margins, on a casting vote of the committee chair David Tooke.
Cranes first appeared on site in mid August 2025 as foundations were laid
The field started to look more like a building site as the supermarket infrastructure went into place
By the end of summer, holiday visitors began to get signs of a structure appearing
Slow progress through summer
Because the size of the store was over the threshold for development within green belt land, the plan then had to be referred to the government’s secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Angela Rayner.
But she was already looking at a new national planning policy framework to treat lower quality green belt like the site at Sandford, as grey belt, where new housing or local infrastructure might be allowed to promote economic growth.
Word came through from the government at the end of March 2025 that Lidl’s plans could go ahead and an ecology team was on site within days to make sure that all protected lizards in the area were relocated.
Slow worms and common lizards were found on the site, but it was eventually cleared of wildlife by the end of spring and preparation work began early June 2025 – later than Lidl had hoped, and slow progress continued for a while after that.
The skeleton of the superstore was taking shape by October 2025
Warnings of delays during road works for a new entrance turned out to be overstated
Line markings were painted at the entrance to Lidl Sandford by early November 2025
First cranes arrived in August
It had originally been hoped that the store might open in time for Christmas 2025, but those estimates were revised by the end of summer.
The first cranes arrived at the end of August and drivers passing through Sandford quickly noticed the shell of the supermarket going up, before work started to create the new access off the Sibley Pottery roundabout on the A351 began in late October 2025.
But fears that it could create a month of traffic disruption were dispelled as much of the work to modify the road layout and replace gas pipes and bury power lines was done from the roadside with only seven days of traffic light disruption needed.
Now, the fit-out phase to take care of the interior design and finish, fixtures and equipment, lighting, security and point of sale systems is under way, with good progress reportedly made in the weeks before Christmas.
Work was completed on the roof during early December 2025
By now, the structure of the shop is almost ready for shop fittings to begin going in
Plants have now been brought onto site ready for landscaping to begin
“We can confirm the store is on track”
A spokesperson for Lidl said on Tuesday 23rd December 2025:
“Whilst exact timelines are yet to be determined, we can confirm the store is on track to open early next year.”
James Mitchell, regional head of property for Lidl, previously said:
“We will be working really hard to deliver the scheme as soon as we can. We’re incredibly excited to be a step closer in joining the local community in Sandford with our first ever store in Purbeck.
“Each of our stores represent more than bricks and mortar, they stand for affordable, high quality food for everyone, good jobs in local communities and investment in regional economies.
“Our new Lidl will remove the need to travel further afield to buy basics, represent long term partnerships with British suppliers and reduce vehicle mileage by over 1.5 million miles a year, saving over 400 tons of carbon.”
Lidl opened its 1,000th UK store in East Grinstead in November 2025 and sees the Sandford store as a step towards its new target of 1,500
