Chickerell's Aldi refused 24 hour delivery service
Plans were recently refused for Asda too
ALDI at Chickerell has been refused permission for unrestricted store deliveries.
A similar decision had been made recently for the Asda supermarket by Weymouth harbour.
Both stores had argued that allowing day and night deliveries would better enable them to meet customer demand.
The Government had eased restrictions on all store deliveries during the past year to help smooth the supply chain for essential shopping, but that is now coming to an end.
In its application for the 1,800 square metre Aldi store at Link Road the company argued that it should be allowed to continue unrestricted deliveries.
Objections
But eight residents from Chickerell Road and the Cerne Villa park objected to the proposed change, along with Chickerell town council, all saying that sleep would continue to be disturbed as it has been at times during the year.
Deliveries at the store had originally been restricted to 07:00 to 22:00 Mondays to Saturdays and 08:00 to 22:00 Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Said one letter of objection to the proposed change:
“As I understand it the deliveries were through the night at very indecent hours due to COVID restrictions. These are easing and therefore the deliveries should return to a decent hour during the day. I am frequently woken by lorries coming and going, trollies being moved in and out of the delivery bay at 02 and 04 in the night. The weather is warming and while I hear the deliveries with the windows shut it will be extremely disruptive when I have the windows open.
“The deliveries coming to the front of the store are disruptive at any time of day and consideration should be given to moving the delivery bay to the back of the store where it is an industrial site with no residents to be inconvenienced.”
Homes close by
A council officer said that while 24-hour deliveries were possible, without disturbance, at some supermarkets, including at Osprey Quay, this was not the case for Aldi in Chickerell where people lived close by.
“This store is near residential properties which could be harmfully impacted by the removal of the condition allowing unrestricted delivery hours and numbers. A noise report has not been provided to guarantee that no disturbance would take place or harm to residential properties occur,” said the report.