Lidl is moving closer to opening its new Halstead store.

The supermarket chain bought the former EMD factory site, in King’s Road, in April.

Original planning permission to demolish the factory and rebuild a supermarket was granted in November 2012.

However, 41 conditions were placed on the permission that Lidl must now comply with before it can build the supermarket.

On Tuesday, property consultants Bilfinger GVA applied to Braintree Council on behalf of Lidl to have 10 of these discharged.

These are for things including plans to show the provision for bike storage, a full record of the former railway building’s history to be archived and details of the signs to be used, among other things.

Under the Section 106 agreement that is part of the planning permission granted in 2012, there will be an investigation into introducing residents only parking along King’s Road.

Parking in the store’s car park will also have to be free for two hours for customers, although in the planning documents there is reference to parking being available to the general public for three hours.

The store has not responded to repeated requests for an opening date.

The EMD factory site had been empty since 2009 and there were fears it would become a white elephant as no supermarket seemed interested in taking it over after former owners Scott Properties secured planning permission in 2012.

Residents are split over whether the new supermarket will help or hinder the town’s High Street.