Government to consider plans for Aldi on a floodplain

PLANS for a new supermarket in Winnersh are set to be reviewed by Michael Gove, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities.

In December, Wokingham Borough councillors approved plans for the Aldi on land at Gazelle Close, off Reading Road, but due to the planned construction on a recognised floodplain, the government must give final approval for the development.

That process began on March 4 but a decision is not now expected until August.

Safety fears were also raised during the initial discussions, with members of the planning committee fearing that extra traffic created by the store could increase the chances of accidents at the junction.

Cllr Michael Firmager had refused to back the plans citing concerns that drivers leaving the retail park can only turn left onto Reading Road, crossing a cycle lane.

He said that he couldn’t vote to approve the plans unless they included new safety measures at the junction.

He said: “We are going to create horrendous accidents. I could envisage seeing deaths there, particularly with cyclists. I don’t want blood on my hands.”

The Environment Agency had also argued that the supermarket shouldn’t be built as the site risks being flooded if the nearby River Loddon overflows.

Wokingham Borough Council planning officers said the shop’s drainage plans were acceptable.

They noted that most of the existing floodplain would be taken up by a new car park, with the shop raised above.

Despite the approval, the flood risk means government minister Michael Gove must be given the chance to consider the plans himself – and potentially block them – before they can go ahead.

Information on the government website suggests a final decision will be made on August 13.

The secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities has the power to take over, known as calling in, a planning application rather than letting the local authority decide.

The secretary will normally only do this if the application conflicts with national policy in important ways, or is nationally significant.

He or she has to take published government policy into account when deciding whether or not to call in a planning application, and when making the decision.

If the secretary of state decides to call in a planning application, an inspector carries out an inquiry into the proposal. The secretary of state has to take the inspector’s findings into account when making the decision.