New Aldi and petrol station plans set for green light in Horncastle

Plans for a new Aldi in Horncastle will be given the go ahead next week.

East Lindsey District Council’s planning committee has been recommended to green light the proposals for the new store on land off Spilsby Road at its meeting on Thursday.

The development will include the demolition of an existing petrol station forecourt and a detached house to make way for the new supermarket with car parking accessed by a roundabout.

The application will also seek outline permission for the redevelopment of the petrol station itself to create a new facility and shop.

A report before councillors said the supermarket itself would be 1,808 square metres with 1,315 square metres classed as retail floorspace.

It proposes to open 8am-10pm Monday-Saturday and 10am-4pm Sundays, with 24 hour deliveries starting at 6am Monday, but only running between 8am-4pm on Sunday.

The report said the new store will employ between 30-40 full and part-time staff.

How the developer hopes to lay the site out.

The petrol station plans are only indicative at this stage but include three fuel islands, a rapid charge electric vehicle point, car wash, toilets and tourist information point. It would be open between 6am-10pm and would create 15 jobs.

If approved the petrol station would have to return to councillors for reserved matters.

Recommending approval, officers said the Aldi would be on a site that “whilst in an out of centre location would be sequentially acceptable and provide good connectivity with the town centre.”

“Whilst the Aldi supermarket would have a harmful impact on existing businesses, particularly the ‘in centre’ Conging Street Co-op and the ‘edge of centre’ Tesco, it would not result in significant harm to them or the vitality and viability of the town centre,” they said.

“In addition the new store would provide choice and competition and would help to claw back trade leakage from the relevant catchment area.”

The application has support from Horncastle Town Council, though the town’s heritage and history society has concerns over the plans for the site as a whole.

It has received six objections based around traffic concerns as well as its competition with the town centre, however, more than 290 letters of support have also praised the store for providing competition, variety and choice and reducing travel across the town.

The Co-operative Group has also objected, criticising the design of the build and raising concerns over how the development will impact on their own store as well as the local Tesco.

The full report can be read here.

MyLocal Lincolnshire is the new home of The Lincolnite. Download the app now.