Aldi and Starbucks plans approved for Market Rasen
Market Rasen is to get its first budget supermarket in a development which will also bring a new Starbucks drive-thru to the town.
Despite concerns about its impact on the High Street, West Lindsey District Council approved a proposal to bring Aldi to the market town during a planning committee meeting on Wednesday (September 11) evening.
Property developer and applicant Morbaine first received planning permission for a supermarket on vacant land off Gallamore Lane, midway between Middle and Market Rasen, in 2021, but no end operator was assigned at that point.
Fast forward to early 2024, and the firm submitted a detailed second planning application, confirming Aldi as the supermarket chain. They hope this will bring healthy competition to the Tesco, which is located on Linwood Road and is the only superstore in Market Rasen at the moment.
During the meeting, group planning director Keith Nutter addressed the committee and highlighted that 650 people took the time to review the details of the "exciting new development" and express their support.
He also noted that the development would be "beneficial to the local community," as residents in Market Rasen currently need to drive to either Lincoln or Louth to visit an Aldi.
Ward councillor Moira Westley (Liberal Democrat) endorsed the application, saying she looked forward to the opening of the "long overdue" Aldi.
She added: "As our town expands in size, it is vital that our services expand along with it and that includes our retail outlets and experiences.
"We believe that it would provide healthy competition which will in turn result in a more affordable shopping experience for our residents as well as those from the wider area passing through."
Although he wasn't able to attend in person, business owner Matthew Horsfield wrote to express his concerns about how the development could pull more visitors away from the High Street, "which already has plenty of coffee shops and food retailers".
This feeling was shared among some members, including Coun Tom Smith (Conservative), who acknowledged that the High Street "has been struggling for a number of years".