Aldi has had a store plan rejected after a three year long planning appeal saga with Welsh Government. The German discounter said it is "bitterly disappointed" after losing out in its bid to develop a new store in Aberystwyth.
The supermarket giant first secured planning for a store and a hotel on the former Kwik Save site back in 2011. But another adapted plan - minus the hotel - was later submitted and approved by Ceredigion County Council in June 2019.
However it was called in by Welsh planning inspectors over flooding fears. It has since taken nearly three years for a decision. This was partly due to the pandemic hitting a planned public inquiry in March 2020.
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This week Aldi were finally told the 40-job supermarket had been rejected by the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James. It came after planning inspectors recommended it should be turned down over the flood risk.
Inspector Janine Townsley said: "The appeal site falls within a C1 flood zone and, for the reasons I have set out, it has not been demonstrated that the potential consequences of a flood event could be adequately managed. I have taken into account all the available evidence, including the concerns raised by those who oppose the scheme, and I have adopted the precautionary principle in carrying out my assessment."
The Minister said: "The Inspector acknowledges the proposal would regenerate a derelict site leading to investment in the area, offering competition and choice in the food retail market in a sustainable location. The scheme would also contribute to improving economic and social well-being in the local community through this investment and the creation of jobs."
But she added: "On the basis of the available information, the Inspector is not satisfied the potential consequences of a flood event for the proposed development could be adequately managed. The Inspector considers the potential efficacy of the proposed mitigation measures has not been adequately established, therefore, it has not been possible to determine whether flood risk would be acceptable either on site or on third party land.
"In assessing risk, the Inspector is mindful of the potentially significant implications of a flood event on human life and property, a concern given considerable weight by the Inspector." She said she agreed with the inspector's conclusions and therefore refused the application.
In response to the decision, an Aldi spokesman said: “Whilst we’re pleased to now have a decision on this scheme, we were bitterly disappointed with the outcome and detail contained in the Minister’s decision letter.
“We received a significant level of support locally following the project’s unanimous approval by Ceredigion County Council, and it’s a shame that this decision means a prominent brownfield site in the centre of Aberystwyth still cannot be brought back into sustainable, economic use.
“We’re still reviewing the detail of the refusal and assessing our next steps, but we do feel that this decision is a negative one for the future of Aberystwyth as a whole. The refusal has wider implications for achieving planning consent on other important development sites identified by the Council in this area.
“We’re grateful for the ongoing support from the local community, as well as the assistance provided by Elin Jones MS in helping to bring about a resolution to the application. We will communicate our next steps once we have agreed them.”
Aldi has previously said it will fall-back on the previous permission for a store and hotel although the inspector said she did not view the fall-back plan as “realistic” when she was making her considerations.
