Supermarket store plans
Chain’s new shop wins approval
A NEW Aldi supermarket which expects to rake in more than £30,000 a day is coming to the outskirts of Llanelli.
It will be built with a drive-thru Costa on land north of Trostre Retail Park, between the B4304 and the A484.
The plans have been approved by Carmarthenshire Council’s planning committee.
They were brought before the committee as the council has a significant financial interest in the application, and there were more than five objections.
The committee heard that the existing Aldi store on Swanfield Place, Llanelli, was trading at well over double its expected level.
Among the seven objections were concerns that the proposed Aldi store’s impact on Asda, Tesco and Morrisons had been underestimated.
Others questioned the need for another coffee shop, and were worried about extra traffic.
The application also led to 60 letters of support, which backed the creation of jobs, increased competition and its benefits for consumers.
The proposed Aldi is expected to generate a £11.44 million turnover in its first year, which works out at £31,342 per day.
The eastern half of the development site is in a floodplain without significant defence infrastructure, but environment body Natural Resources Wales did not object on a flood risk basis.
The Aldi and drive-thru Costa will come with a new roundabout junction and landscaping.
There will be parking for 128 cars at Aldi and 40 at Costa - a total of 11 of which will be disabled spaces - and eight bike spaces.
The planning officer report before the committee said that, according to the applicants, the proposed Aldi would have a 2% impact on Asda, a 7.5% impact on Tesco and Morrisons’ food and drink sales, a 13% impact on Lidl, and a 23% impact on the town’s current Aldi store.
A study carried out on behalf of the council said it would be difficult to defend an appeal - if the plans were turned down - on a lack of need case.
The study concluded there were no other suitable town or “edge of centre sites” for the development proposed.
The officer report said: “The above appraisal has indicated that the proposed development for both the new Aldi and Costa meets the relevant retail planning policy tests, and the advice received from the planning authority’s independent retail consultants is that a refusal on retail policy grounds could not be sustained.”
The development will result in the loss of some trees, but the majority of mature trees are being retained and more saplings will be planted.
The applicants must contribute £45,825.47 towards cycling and walking upgrades.
The committee voted in favour of the application after a short discussion, and imposed 28 planning conditions.