A £6.4million supermarket in Castle Douglas has been given the green light.
Aldi has won support to build the store on Oakwell Road on a site previously occupied by a garden
centre.
Planning officials had recommended the bid be refused, fearing the impact it could have on the town’s independent traders.
But the councillors disagreed, with the store set to create as many as 35 jobs and result in fewer car journeys outwith the Stewartry.
Local councillor Iain Howie pointed out: “Not a single King Street trader has objected to this application.”
Hundreds of people emailed elected members and signed a petition calling for the store to be approved following the refusal recommendation.
Planning boss David Suttie told councillors the key issue was the application itself, rather than who would operate the store.
However, Aldi’s property director Andy Doyle later said: “We are not in the business of obtaining planning permission for the use of our competitors and we intend to get this store open as soon as possible.”
The refusal recommendation came after an independent retail assessment claimed there would be a 20 per cent impact on town centre trading. Aldi’s assessment claimed the impact would be closer to 6.5 per cent.
Someone who did speak against the proposal was Graeme Laing on behalf of the Co-op.
He felt there would be “significant consequences for the business that contributes so much to Castle Douglas town centre”.
Supporters called for Aldi to gain approval so shoppers could have access to a discount retailer closer to home and the potential for new jobs.
Councillor Howie said that following the opening of Tesco in Castle Douglas “prophecies of the demise of King Street shops came to nothing” and “not a single King Street trader has objected to this application”.
That was highlighted in a survey carried out by fellow Castle Douglas and Crocketford councillor John Young, with more than 80 per cent of people who ran or worked for independent traders in the town backing Aldi.
And Councillor Dougie Campbell told members: “This application isn’t just about supermarket options for residents in Castle Douglas. It’s about the socio-economic wellbeing of the whole of the Stewartry – giving our residents choice and the way to make life more affordable.”
Steven Robb, from Aldi's planning consultants Avison Young, said there were numerous examples across Scotland where Aldi stores existed alongside healthy town centres with independent retailers. He added: “We do not anticipate significant competition with those existing stores.”
Councillor Archie Dryburgh moved to approve the application due to the socio-economic benefits of the new store as well as the environmental impact of fewer journeys outwith the area.
Castle Douglas and Crocketford councillor Pauline Drysdale highlighted the need for locals to have more access to discount retailers given the “rocketing” price of food.
She added: “We are being recommended to reject an application which would greatly assist the impoverished from ease of accessing cheaper food and I am not prepared to do that.”
Aldi hope to have the new store up and running by the middle of next year.
