Support for Grantham Aldi move - but traffic a concern
A supermarket says it has received overwhelming support for its plan to move to another site in Grantham - although traffic congestion was raised as a concern.
Aldi plans to move from its current location in South Parade to the corner of Harlaxton Road and Trent Road, on what was a James Irlam haulage depot.
In an application submitted to the planning authority, the supermarket claims 95 per cent of people who took part in its recent public consultation supported the move.
However, 65 per cent shared the concern of increased traffic or congestion as a result of the new store’s development.
Aldi delivered a consultation newsletter to 3,000 homes in the area asking for people’s views on the proposal, and held a public consultation event. It said 363 of the 383 responses were in support of the proposals.
Thirty nine per cent of the respondents also named Aldi as the supermarket where they did the bulk of their food shop.
The application said: “Aldi has received an overwhelmingly positive response for the proposed development, with 95 per cent of the consultees in support of the proposals.
“Aldi Stores Limited has a strong track record on community consultation. Residents, stakeholders and elected members were given the opportunity to give their feedback regarding the proposals via a number of dedicated response mechanisms.
“Feedback from stakeholders and the local community has been carefully reviewed and where possible, has evolved the proposals.”
Included in its application to South Kesteven District Council were comments received.
Among the positive comments was: “It will be good to use the waste ground that’s been an eyesore on the corner for as long as I can remember.”
Another said: “Trent Road would be the ideal location. Nice modern shop, wider aisles, larger car park. Handy for all the housing estates in the area, looking forward to it.”
However, voicing concerns over traffic, one comment said: “Roads are not built to support such a shop. The congestion will be horrendous, also the noise pollution will be unbearable.”
In response to concerns, Aldi said: “A Transport Assessment has been submitted with the planning application to address perceived impacts on the local road network, access design, parking provision and highway safety."
