PLANS to replace Wrexham’s police station with a supermarket and ‘drive-thru’ coffee shop have been met with opposition.

Supermarket giants Lidl purchased North Wales Police’s landmark Bodhyfryd station in Wrexham town centre earlier this year, with a view to demolishing it and replacing it with a new store including ‘drive-thru’ coffee shop facilities.

But members of Acton Community Council are to send objections to Wrexham Council before they make a final decision on the plans, on grounds of possible pollution, with the development being close to two schools.

At their meeting where they were consulted on the plans, members felt that a coffee shop will create pollution issues.

The council will also point out that the site is close to two schools, in a very busy area with highways issues.

The thought of a continual stop start by cars calling at the drive through coffee shop was the main concern of members.

In May Lidl confirmed an exchange of contracts with Arfon Jones, North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, to secure the site on Bodhyfryd/Powell Road.

Plans for the store include a 1,325 square metre sales area, in-store bakery, customer toilets and parking for both cars and bicycles.

Announcing the plans, Stuart Jardine, Lidl UK’s regional head of property, said: “We are delighted to be opening a new store in Wrexham, which marks another milestone in our ambitious store expansion programme.

“We’ve seen incredible demand for Lidl stores across the country and look forward to offering our quality products and incredible value to shoppers in and around Wrexham.”

“We are firmly committed to helping boost the local economy by creating new jobs and working with local suppliers in the construction of the new store. The team are very much looking forward to confirming a date for our public consultation day when we will outline our plans and get input from those who will directly benefit from the new store.”

A new police station facility is currently being built in Llay, boasting 32 cells, canteen facilities, and two gyms, one of them for conducting beep fitness tests for police officers, as well as locker rooms and garages.

It has an 80 kilowatt solar array on the roof, rainwater harvesting for washing 85 police vehicles a week, smart lighting to conserve energy and sunlight shafts to ensure those in the pre-cast internal cells get natural light.

The £16.7 million building is due to be operational in the autumn.

After fitting it out, the overall cost will be £21.5 million.

A new town centre station with a public front desk is also being fitted out in the former Oriel Gallery at Wrexham Library.

The planning committee will decide on the Lidl plans at a future date.