17/05/2009

Aldi Still Trying to Come to Aber


The Aldi supermarket chain have submitted plans for a new store beneath a 70-room hotel on the old Quick Save site in Park Avenue (above). The plans also show parking for 75 cars.

Aldi’s company philosophy is, according to documents provided with their planning application, “to offer high quality own label products at heavily discounted prices”. They do this by only providing a, “limited selection of goods” but say this means they don’t pose a threat to smaller specialist shops. You get the picture. They say that 90% of their goods are produce within the UK.

Last year an application for a stand-alone single-storey supermarket on the site was rejected by the County Council’s Development Control Committee on the grounds that the Masterplan brief for the area
(http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/utilities/action/act_download.cfm?mediaid=12348) requests a high quality, mixed-use development. By incorporating a ‘travel lodge’ type hotel in a three-storey building, Aldi think their new application achieves this.

In preliminary discussions with the developers the Council’s Planning Department have said they’d prefer to see a five-storey development incorporating office space in order to maximise the use of a piece of land so close to the town centre. Aldi say this would not be commercially viable, question the status of the Masterplan and are hoping that three-storeys will be acceptable.

The site, next to Aberystwyth football club and police station, is currently derelict with an empty supermarket and car showroom and badly in need of the right kind of development. The question is, is this it?

The plans can be seen in Aberystwyth Town Council Office in the Town Hall, Queens Road (Tel 624761). Comments should be sent to Adran Cynllunio/Planning Department, Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion, Penmorfa Aberaeron, Ceredigion, SA46 0PA