Councillors want conditions imposed on Aldi before it builds new Whitchurch store

Whitchurch Town Council has also called for Aldi not to have have any advertising boards on the rear of the proposed new store off Wrexham Road.

It comes after the council raised concerns that the proposal will have a negative effect on the small businesses in the town centre, and that the out-of-town store is not well connected to the town.

But Aldi claims Whitchurch town centre is performing well and will continue to do so if the shop is built.

A statement on behalf of the town council said: "If planning permission is granted, Whitchurch Town Council would like Aldi to contribute an annual sum for a minimum of five years, to subsidise an extra stop by the town bus at Aldi, rather than bringing an extra bus provider into the town from Newport and therefore putting a further vehicle on Wrexham Road.

"As stated by George Brown, Aldi – the town council is to have control of £45,000 to boost tourism in the town and provide a grant scheme for community groups.

"Also, that there should be no access from/to Aldi to the canal bank, valuable footfall should come into the town centre, and no advertising boards to be placed on rear of store.

"These conditions should still allow the viability of Aldi’s development."

Joanna Gabrilatsou, on behalf of Aldi, said research indicated that the store would not cause the closure of any existing convenience stores.

She said:

“The applicant has commissioned a household survey. The findings of the assessment demonstrate that Whitchurch town centre is performing above benchmark levels.

“Town centre performance is expected to remain strong with residual turnover following the proposed development remaining above benchmark levels.

“Indeed, JLL also maintains that the proposal will not result in adverse harm to the existing investment in the town as the proposal is not expected to result in the closure of any convenience operators or other operators."

Aldi said the new store would 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.

Plans submitted to Shropshire Council state traffic management measures and new parking arrangements in Wrexham Road will be introduced to improve the current road situation.

These include creating a right-turn lane into the site from Wrexham Road, two vehicle-activated speeding signs, and an extension to the 30mph zone on the road outside the supermarket.

Shropshire Council is expected to make a decision on the proposal in the coming months.