Store wars Residents bombard council with fears over Aldi plan
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THE latest moves to site an Aldi supermarket on the edge of Cheltenham have been met with more opposition from residents.
People living around The Reddings have opposed the store in Grovefield Way and sent objections to Cheltenham Borough Council.
Issues of concern range from the possible increase in traffic to fears the store is part of plans to create a new retail park.
One of 18 letters of objection sent to the borough council reads: “This town does not need another supermarket. It will only take jobs from the other 20-plus supermarkets already in the town.
“The extra traffic, pollution, and the negative impact on the environment and stress to the residents in and around The Reddings are not worth this.”
The store and a business park would be on land by North Road West and Grovefield Way. The plans include offices and a children’s nursery.
Planning of the supermarket has resulted in developers struggling to find businesses to occupy retail space and to fund the business park, with developers wanting to be able to build and open the supermarket first.
They asked for a planning condition to be dropped that stated the supermarket could not be occupied until three offices were “capable of occupation”.
This condition was imposed on appeal in February after an earlier planning application was rejected by Cheltenham Borough Council to ensure “the prime purpose of the business park is achieved”.
Developers returned to the council and commissioned a report suggesting the condition was too onerous and had a “significant negative impact” on the overall scheme.
Residents have echoed the council’s concerns, with one person saying the development should be paused “until it can be determined that there is a demand for more office units”.
It had been hoped Ridge and Partners LLP and Bloor Homes would be interested in two office units.
But the council has been told “this opportunity no longer exists” partly because of the restriction requiring the applicant to build office units to occupational standards.
The applicant now wants the food store to be operational from day one to assist in attracting office occupiers.
This, it says, would “help instil market confidence” and would help bring the business park plan to fruition.
It added: “The visual presence of Aldi on site will assist in attracting office occupiers as the uncertainly around its construction phase will be removed.”