Shrewsbury councillors back plans for town's second Aldi store

Aldi wants to open its second Shrewsbury store, in Oteley Road, on land in front of Percy Thrower’s Wyevale Garden Centre .

News that the development would create 40 new jobs if it goes ahead was welcomed by councillors.

Aldi's regional property director George Brown unveiled the proposals at Shrewsbury Town Council's planning meeting on Tuesday night.

Town clerk Helen Ball said: "Aldi is in the process of submitting an application to build on the former Waitrose land. They presented their idea to council on Tuesday night.

"Members were generally supportive of it. It's not as if the existing Aldi will close – they will run harmoniously alongside one another."

Aldi is also working alongside a partner developer to build a care home which will create another dozen jobs.

Mrs Ball added: "Aldi acquired the six-acre site but only needed three acres for their facility, so now they are in quite intense discussions with a care home provider.

"They did say they looked at other options such as a pub or cafe, but because of Wyevale, they were not able to pursue those options."

Mr Brown said a new shop, alongside its Arlington Way store in Harlescott, would provide an economic boost for the county town.

Response

"I’d like to thank Shrewsbury Town Council for inviting us to present our plans," he added. "The meeting went well and we were really pleased with the response from those that attended.

"The discussion regarding the proposals was very informative and I’m glad that there was broad agreement that a new store in this area would provide an economic boost locally, as well as increasing shopping choice for residents."

Aldi has written to more than 2,000 residents detailing its plans and asking for feedback.

The responses are currently being collated and will be incorporated into the final planning application which will be submitted in the next few weeks.

The hybrid application to Shropshire Council will initially seek full planning permission for the Aldi store and outline planning for the care home.

Waitrose won planning permission from Shropshire Council to build a 30,000sq ft store on the site more than five years ago and had said it would bring up to 200 jobs to the town.

But the supermarket pulled out after it became embroiled in a planning row with budget retailer Lidl, which has since built a store further along Oteley Road on land next to Shrewsbury Town FC's Montgomery Waters Meadow.