Members shocked at Aldi store refusal

9.40.09am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th Oct 2009

Councillors for Newbury town centre are angry that they were not informed before time ran out on a planning application for a new Aldi store in London Road. To meet the Government's deadline of 13 weeks for planning decisions on major schemes, planners issued a refusal notice to Aldi on 1st October before local councillors could demand the decision be taken by the District Council's Western Area Planning Committee.

Tony Vickers (Lib Dem, Northcroft) has spoken to Aldi's Property Director Richard Williams and persuaded him to re-submit an identical application, which Cllr Vickers has promised he will call before the committee. "My constituents want this store to be built. It seems that the only reason it was turned down was a failure to agree how much money Aldi should contribute towards highway works in the area. Aldi are confident that they would win an appeal to the independent Planning Inspectorate, which would incur considerable costs to this Council, i.e. local taxpayers. An Appeal has already been requested. This is madness."

Roger Hunneman (Lib Dem, Victoria) had been looking into the use of the Aldi store car-park as a drop-off for parents of children attending Victoria Park Nursery School, who currently cause congestion in nearby narrow residential streets. Cllr Hunneman has asked for a meeting with planners and highway officers, to discuss what might be a reasonable compromise on the highway implications of the Aldi store. "Local councillors have a good understanding of what is really needed in the area. We definitely ought to be involved in these decisions," he said.

Gwen Mason (Lib Dem, Northcroft) is a Governor of Victoria Park Nursery School, as well as a member of the planning committee (as are Cllrs Vickers and Hunneman). "There's something wrong with our procedures if decisions against the wishes of all my constituents can happen without their elected councillors having a say," she said.