Application number: 55543/FULLCommittee date: Tuesday 13th November

Aldi is pleased that following a great deal of community support, its comprehensive proposal to introduce a new neighbourhood food store on a Brownfield site, close to the town centre, has been recommended for approval by your planning officer.

This application represents the ideal opportunity to significantly enhance the appearance of a gateway town centre site whilst delivering a retail anchor capable of generating additional footfall for the benefit of the southern end of the Prestwich High Street. If approved, introducing a new discount food store on the site would also bring enhanced benefits to the wider community through offering increased choice and competition, which would help keep Prestwich residents shopping locally.

A new Aldi store for Prestwich is recommended for approval

About the proposals• A new Aldi food store with a net sales area of 954m²

and a gross internal area of 1,310m²

• 70 car parking spaces, including four disabled and six parent/child spaces

• Free car parking for up to 90 minutes

• Access achieved via Bury New Road

• Up to 25 full and part jobs for local people

• Attractive landscaping incorporated into the scheme to enhance the appearance of the site

• A high quality design, which offers a contemporary shopping experience

Working with the community

It was important to Aldi that the local community was fully informed regarding its proposals for the future of the site. Aldi held a public exhibition to which 894 residents and businesses were invited to view and comment on the plans. Aldi also issued a detailed community newsletter to those same people along with a postage paid feedback card, so residents could provide their comments to the project team irrespective as to whether they could attend the exhibition.

Local people have their say…

Aldi has received an overwhelming level of local support for its proposals. It has received 77 responses from local residents welcoming an Aldi to the site in principle and 33 formal letters of representation have been received on the council file.

An attractive designThe aim of the development is to provide a high quality, attractive new food store, which would dramatically improve the appearance of a gateway town centre site.

To achieve this, a modern design is proposed which promotes a clean, contemporary approach. The proposed architectural detailing would include high levels of glazing to the entrance and main facades, together with render panels and locally styled red brickwork.

The carefully designed scheme would physically regenerate the existing site, enhancing the overall appearance of the area and the associated public realm. Your officer comments:

“…the proposed building would not be a prominent feature with the streetscene and would preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area.”

An appropriate access Access to and egress from the proposed food store would be via a new vehicular junction on Bury New Road. HPL Motors is currently served by two vehicular access points from Bury New Road, and it is proposed that these would be replaced by a single junction.

The proposed store is within walking distance of a large number of residential properties and also benefits from good links with local bus services, with bus stops close to the site. The proposals also include the resurfacing of the pavement along the frontage of Bury New Road to remove the existing uneven pathway and associated trip hazards.

Car parkingAn appropriate level of car parking would be provided to serve the new food store. The existing on-street car parking would be retained alongside the new 70 space Aldi customer car park.

Aldi proposes to provide free car parking for up to 90 minutes, giving customers time to complete their shopping in-store and make further linked trips to other shops/services within Prestwich Town Centre. Your officer states:

“…the proposed parking provision would be acceptable in this instance.”

Being a good neighbourAldi has a unique delivery system which enables products to be transferred directly from one or two delivery lorries a day, straight into the store, without the need for external movement of goods, reducing external activity and the potential for inconvenience to neighbours.

The servicing lasts between 20 – 30 minutes. Aldi has control of its own delivery fleet so efficient delivery and adherence to delivery times can be easily accommodated.

Furthermore, the proposed store would be well in excess of the minimum separation distance required from its nearest neighbour. As such your officer comments:

“…it is considered that the proposed development would not have an adverse impact upon the residential amenity of the neighbouring properties in terms of light and privacy.”

About AldiAldi is one of the world’s largest privately owned companies with more than 7,000 stores across Europe, North America and Australia. Aldi opened its first stores in the UK in 1990 and has more than 410 stores across the UK.

Aldi is able to achieve lower prices through an extraordinarily efficient operation, from the sourcing of its products, to the retail experience in store. In an Aldi store, you will not find lots of versions of the same thing. Aldi focuses on quality rather than quantity; stocking a range of groceries that includes everything shoppers need, every day of the week. This allows Aldi to get the lowest prices from suppliers – then pass on the savings to customers with quantity discounts.

Artist’s impression of an Aldi store

Deliverable benefits• High quality, discount store where

no comparable retailer exists

• Increased competition and choice for local residents, helping to claw trade back to Prestwich

• New employment opportunities for local people

• A development that has received the support of local residents

• A unique food store offering which encourages linked trips with existing retailers

• The regeneration of a key gateway site which is allocated for retail development

Proposed Foodstore Development - Bury New Road (A56), PrestwichClient: Aldi Stores Ltd

Date: 13/08/12Job/Dwg: 0152-V114-Elevations

Scale: 1:200@A3www.harrispartnership.com0152 MID Prestwich Elevations V114

ProPoSED ELEVAtIon 1Customer Car Park

ProPoSED ELEVAtIon 2Bury New Road

Proposed Bury New Road elevation

The ideal location for a new Aldi food storeThe site’s potential for comprehensive redevelopment is clear and Aldi strongly believes this is the correct site to introduce a new neighbourhood food store to serve Prestwich. In spite of its prominence the site, at present, is under-utilised in terms of built development and detracts from the appearance of Bury New Road – a key approach into Prestwich Town Centre.

This significant investment proposed by Aldi would provide the opportunity to radically improve the visual appearance of a gateway town centre site whilst acting as a retail anchor capable of enhancing the southern end of the High Street, attracting greater footfall and generating spin-off trade for existing town centre businesses.

Importantly, the principle of the site’s redevelopment for retail purposes is already accepted given its allocation within the Council’s UDP and the fact the ‘Love Prestwich Village’ strategy earmarks the site as appropriate. Your officer states:

“…the proposed development would be located immediately adjacent to the town centre, would enhance the vitality and viability of the centre and would be accessible by public transport...”

Local residents have their say…

“It is an excellent proposal…the nearest Aldi is not easy for people without transport to visit…”

“It will be nice to have an Aldi in Prestwich where people can afford to shop”

“Ideal for Prestwich’s shop local campaign. Aldi complements local shops already established. Location will energise the south end of the High Street”

“About time someone gave Tesco a run for their money”

“I fully agree with all the proposals and think it will be an asset to Prestwich”

“Good. Competition is good for the area. It will improve the existing site”

“As a business I welcome Aldi at the south end of the village to bring people down to our area”

“Good location. Handy for public transport”

“Very positive. We need a supermarket within walking distance. Not everyone drives.”

Proposed site plan

Aerial view of the site

The existing site

More choice for PrestwichIt is important that residents have access to a wide range of shopping facilities. Evidence from the Council’s recent Retail Study (2011) indicates that a lack of competition has resulted in some food stores within and around Prestwich ‘overtrading’, resulting in overcrowding and congestion at peak times. This was certainly reflected in the feedback received from local residents, with one of the frequently raised comments stressing to the need for increased choice and competition in the area.

Aldi’s proposal offers a genuine alternative for food shoppers. It would reduce overtrading in existing stores whilst promoting greater competition and choice locally.

Clawing trade back into PrestwichAldi would introduce a discount retailer where at present there is no such provision in the catchment area, providing Prestwich residents with a genuine choice.

Assisting to meet the needs of consumers within Prestwich will mean shoppers will no longer have to travel out of the area to meet their shopping requirements – clawing back leaked expenditure and keeping residents shopping locally.

The introduction of a new Aldi food store in this location, with excellent pedestrian links with the wider town centre, would not only reduce travel distances for local shoppers and increase competition but encourage people to complete their shopping within the town centre.

This would add to the vitality and viability of the area and enhance the local retail economy.

Complementing existing retailersIt is important to distinguish that Aldi has a unique offering and does not act as a one stop shop unlike other larger retailers. Aldi deliberately restricts the range of goods that it sells; it does not sell a wide range of products which are normally found in mainstream supermarkets. For example, it does not have a butchers, fishmongers or bakers nor does it sell tobacco, newspapers/magazines.

Instead Aldi is known for encouraging linked trips between its store and other businesses in the area, as typically Aldi customers will purchase products that they consider to be value for money and then will go onto complete their weekly grocery shopping in other stores and specialist independent businesses located within the town centre.

This offers a complementary facility to Prestwich’s existing pattern of trading.

Local employment opportunitiesThe new Aldi food store would introduce up to 25 new job opportunities, including managerial positions. Aldi aims to provide flexible jobs for local people and more employment opportunities would also be available through the construction of the development.

The best site for the townAldi has thoroughly assessed alternative town centre sites and the proposed site is the only viable, suitable and available option to deliver a new food store.

Aldi’s business model is well established and has been developed to ensure that the layout and management of its stores are highly efficient, which in turn, enables Aldi to pass on cost saving in the form of deep discount prices to its customers. This imposes a minimum site size of 0.4ha which can accommodate a store and associated car parking.

However, Aldi would like to stress it took a flexible approach when reviewing alternative sites.

Providing social inclusionThe proposed development represents a significant investment by Aldi. We are aware that some existing Aldi customers have to travel out of the area to visit an Aldi store so this new store will reduce the need to travel. Access and choice will be improved for local residents.

Proposed Foodstore Development - Bury New Road (A56), PrestwichClient: Aldi Stores Ltd

Date: 13/08/12Job/Dwg: 0152-V114-Elevations

Scale: 1:200@A3www.harrispartnership.com0152 MID Prestwich Elevations V114

ProPoSED ELEVAtIon 1Customer Car Park

ProPoSED ELEVAtIon 2Bury New Road

Proposed customer car park elevation