New Aldi supermarket approved in Fenland
It's despite objections from Tesco
A new Aldi supermarket has been approved in a Fenland town – despite objections from Tesco.
The store and an accompanying car park with 102 parking spaces will be built across 1-3 Hostmoor Avenue and 1 Martin Avenue – which converge at a roundabout – in March in place of the warehouses currently at the site.
The development will involve the demolition of those existing buildings to make way for Aldi’s new 1,800sqm supermarket, which the company says will create 40–50 jobs as well as providing “much needed choice” for local residents.
Fenland District Council’s (FDC) planning committee voted unanimously in favour of the development this week, but not before they were asked to consider rejecting it by a representative of Tesco, which has a superstore on the opposite side of Hostmoor Avenue.
“Aldi may assert that I’m here to unreasonably prevent competition,” Martin Robson said at a planning committee meeting, speaking on behalf of the rival supermarket. “Not correct.”
“Their scheme has severe risks to pedestrian safety and will create unacceptable traffic congestion,” he said. “Both have important, public interest, consequences.”
Access to the new Aldi store will be from Hostmoor Avenue, while cars leaving the site will be restricted to left-turns only at the exit.
Crossing points will also be designated at the roundabout and Aldi will also either provide signal-controlled crossings at the Hostmoor Avenue junction or £250,000 towards a local authority scheme which already intends to implement these if it should come to fruition before the store is built.
But pedestrians trying to cross the road between Tesco and Aldi will be “sitting ducks”, Mr Robson said, as drivers will be focussed on the roundabout.
Aldi’s exit solution will also worsen congestion, he added, particularly as cars leaving Aldi wanting to go right will have to drive all the way around the roundabout to get on their way.
Aldi’s agent, Rob Scadding, said in response that the company is aware of these concerns, but that its access designs had been independently assessed with no objections raised from local highways authorities.
“If approved, the new Aldi will bring much needed choice for local residents,” he continued.
“Now, more than ever, with the rising cost of living, it’s important that people have access to genuine choice. Many local people are already travelling to visit Aldi in Chatteris and having somewhere closer to home will mean shorter car journeys.”
The scheme also attracted more positive comments than negative comments from residents, with 84 in favour and 18 against in the council’s planning portal.
Work on the store is expected to begin within three years.