Aldi dismisses suggestion of new site for Whitchurch store
An alternative site suggested for a new out-of-town Aldi supermarket has been deemed unsuitable by the firm.
The discount supermarket has dismissed the suggestion of building a store off Heath Road, Whitchurch.
A planning application has already been submitted to build the Aldi store off Wrexham Road, which is currently out for consultation.
But Rula Developments put forward the alternative site off Heath Road to Shropshire Council, claiming it would be more suitable because it is closer to the town centre.
A statement on behalf of Aldi states: "The Heath Road site is not sequentially preferable to the application site. Whilst it may be shorter in distance to the town centre, it does not mean it has a better relationship or better connectivity with the town centre.
"Most importantly, unlike the application site, it is severed by the A525 bypass sitting to the south of the busy section of highway.
"It too is a greenfield site. It also sits in a plot in isolation with no other continuing uses that connect with the main Whitchurch settlement area.
"Indeed it is allocated for development but this does not man it is sequentially preferable."
A letter on behalf of Rula Developments states: “Rula Developments has agreement with landowners to bring the wider site forward for development.
“An initial assessment of infrastructure costs by Rula Developments indicate that with the appropriate mix and scale of development, the ability to pump prime delivery of the wider employment site is viable and achievable.
“We consider the Heath Road site to be sequentially preferable to the Wrexham Road site.
“The Heath Road site is located materially closer to the town centre and has greater likelihood of forming connections with the town centre."
Aldi said the new store could create up to 40 permanent full and part-time jobs for local people, in addition to roles during construction and supply-chain opportunities created by the shop being built.
The firm revealed 76 per cent of people have so far welcomed the proposal. It follows a public exhibition where the firm invited more than 4,600 local residents and businesses to attend to view the plans.
