Discount supermarket Aldi has lodged plans to demolish its existing outlet on Chester ’s Bumpers Lane but then build a larger food store on the same site.
Aldi Stores Ltd has applied to Cheshire West and Chester Council to extend the store onto the footprint currently occupied by the former G4S building next door.
The scheme, which would see in-store jobs increase from 26 to around 40, is part of Aldi’s Chester expansion plans which will also see a brand new store in Parkgate Road in addition to the existing outlet at Boughton .
A document accompanying the plans says the enlarged store would feature parking for 127 vehicles compared with 77 now.
It states: “Aldi currently operate a food store on Bumpers Lane in the west of Chester. This store is popular and well used and as a result is operating at capacity.
“The store is also smaller than Aldi’s smallest standard model and as such is becoming inefficient to operate. Aldi are undertaking a programme of extending stores across their estate to one or two standardised formats. Ultimately, where smaller stores cannot be expanded to one of the larger formats, the store will be closed.”
The document adds: “Aldi propose demolishing the existing store and the adjacent former G4S building and developing a new food store extending to 1,730 square metres and offering an additional 400 square metres of net sales floor space. The store will provide 127 parking including eight accessible spaces, nine parent and child spaces and three staff spaces in addition to 16 cycle parking spaces.”
Last December worries about ‘dangerous’ and ‘poor’ access were dismissed when plans for Chester’s third Aldi were approved.
Cheshire West and Chester Council planning committee agreed by seven votes to four to back Aldi’s application to demolish the former Mercedes Benz dealership in Parkgate Road and erect a food store and car park in its place.
Until recently the building acted as a temporary storage area for Hunters Land Rover Chester while its Sealand Road based was redeveloped but the Range Rover vehicles have now gone indicating demolition is imminent.
