Supermarket bosses say new site will allow them to leave 'small and outdated' premises
A new Aldi supermarket in Shrewsbury will create jobs, reduce traffic in a busy area of town and meet the highest environmental standards, company bosses have said.
The supermarket giant has revealed plans to relocate its store in Arlington Way, which was built in 1992, to a new site next to Battlefield Roundabout.
Regional director George Brown told Shrewsbury Town Council’s planning committee that the company had been on the hunt for a new location in the north of the town for four years.
The proposed new store would be 400 square metres larger than the old 960 square metre building in Arlington Way, to allow for wider aisles and more tills to reduce congestion and queuing.
All 29 current employees will be retained and around 10 new jobs are set to be created.
Mr Brown said: “We extended that (Arlington Way) store back in 2006, but given the footprint of the land there’s only so much we can do with it and the building can’t be extended any further.
“It’s small and out-dated, and given the construction methods used at the time it’s not the most environmentally-friendly store.
“The proposed site, as you know, is to the north just off Battlefield Roundabout and it’s less than one mile from the Arlington Way store.
“It’s an allocated development site and it’s situated in a prominent and accessible location.”
The site was subject to a planning application last year for a Premier Inn, Miller and Carter steak house, Costa drive-through and industrial units, but this was later withdrawn.
Aldi’s proposals would see a smaller area of the land developed, and Mr Brown said the company was committed to preserving an existing mature tree and the public footpath crossing the site.
The company has been carbon neutral since 2019 and the new building will be heated by a renewable heat recovery system.
The plans include cycle storage and 148 car parking spaces, four of which will have electric vehicle charging points. Infrastructure will also be put in place for an additional 18 in the future.
The new supermarket will be accessed via a new junction off Battlefield Road, which will be widened to create a right-turn lane in an effort to avoid disrupting the traffic flow towards the roundabout.
Highways consultant Iain Miller told the committee that there would be “no severe impact” on traffic.
He added that traffic would be reduced in Arlington Way as a result of that store being removed.
Councillor Kevin Pardy, who represents Sundorne, said he did not believe the traffic problems to the north of the town would not be worsened as a result of the new supermarket, and said there were also concerns that the level of development happening in the area at present would add to existing flooding issues.
Councillor Pardy and Councillor Becky Wall, who represents Battlefield, also said the proposed move away from the current site could cause difficulties for customers who did not drive, particularly with the company’s target market being those with lower incomes.
Underdale councillor David Vasmer asked whether Aldi had considered the impact of the proposed North West Relief Road on its traffic predictions, but Mr Miller said the council had not yet provided the traffic modelling.
The town councill will be formally consulted on the application once it has been submitted, and Shropshire Council will make the final decision.
