MP tells Aldi to ‘get on with it’
AFTER TWO-YEAR STALEMATE SUPERMARKET IS FINALLY IN TALKS WITH DEVELOPER OVER NEW HOMES
THE “ridiculous” two-year wait for a new Aldi in Stapleford could soon be over as the company says it is now talking to a developer to build 10 new homes – a requirement before the supermarket can go ahead.
Aldi previously told the Post it was speaking to a number of developers about the houses but has now narrowed the field down to just one.
Broxtowe Borough Council granted planning permission for the shop on vacant land in Pinfold Lane in 2016 but only on condition that the supermarket provided the new homes.
Aldi tried unsuccessfully to removed this condition a number of times but was taking so long that Anna Soubry, Conservative MP for Broxtowe, said the issue would be raised in Parliament today.
A petition with more than 1,000 signatures was handed to the council and hundreds of people registered their support for removing the condition online to get the supermarket built.
The latest news has been welcomed by local councillor John Mcgrath, who staged a protest at the site in December last year.
He said: “Why is Stapleford in the middle of a political dogfight when it could have been built years ago?
“It has been a ridiculous wait for an area that needs investment but I am ecstatic [they are in talks with a developer].”
Ms Soubry said she wanted to see Aldi “just get on with it”.
She told the Post: “There has previously been no urgency on the matter.
“It is a brave decision by Broxtowe Borough Council to make Aldi build these homes on brownfield land before they put up the supermarket.
“Whether it’s 10 houses here and 10 houses there, they all add up.
“We just want to see Aldi fulfil their obligation to build the homes and get on with it. Then people can benefit from the affordable new homes.”
The company has previously expressed concerns it would have to find someone else to build the homes as this is not its area of expertise and that this makes it reliant on a third party for the opening of the store.