Aldi get green light for store extension

An appeal from Aldi against Dudley Council’s refusal to allow an extension of their store in Wollaston has been allowed.

The supermarket giant has been given permission to extend its store onto an area of green space at the end of The Dell, a cul-de-sac at the rear of the existing store.

The application had been strongly opposed by people in Stourbridge and was refused in January by planners at the council.

Councillors ruled the loss of public open space would be too great however the Planning Inspectorate overruled the rejection and gave Aldi the go-ahead for an extension to add 340 square metres of retail and storage space.

In its report the Inspectorate concluded: “At present, the southern part of the open space has a fairly significant slope before it then flattens out towards the top. 

“As such, only part of the space is currently easily usable for informal recreation. The proposed extension would be built upon the flatter area of open space. 

“However, as part of the proposals, the remaining sloping area would be flattened out in order to make it more usable.”

The Inspectorate added the remaining open space would be planted with flowers and meadow grass and be maintained by Aldi, making it a more attractive space in future years.

The inspectorate also dismissed concerns from campaigners that people going to the nearby Wollaston Recreation Ground (WRG) instead would be at risk from having to cross Bridgnorth Road.

The inspectorate concluded while there was no formal crossing point there is good visibility and traffic moved at relatively low speed creating suitable gaps for people to cross the road safely.

Worries about noise and extra traffic were also dismissed. The Inspectorate said: “There would be sufficient distance between the proposed extension to the store and existing homes so as to ensure that the living conditions of residents would not be negatively affected to an unacceptable degree in terms of loss of outlook or loss of light. 

“With regards to noise, the appellant has provided a Noise Impact Assessment which considered the impacts of the proposed external plant. 

“The assessment concludes that the plant will comply with the noise requirements associated with the existing plant, and therefore, that the nearest residents would not be affected to an unacceptable degree.

“There is no substantive evidence before me to indicate that the proposal would lead to unacceptable harm in relation to traffic congestion in the area or parking, including any potential for additional pollution.”