New Aldi supermarket plans revealed after Budgens store boarded up
Long-awaited plans to breathe life into a former Budgens, that has been boarded up for over a year, have been submitted.
The derelict building in Coppice Farm Way, Willenhall, is set to be bulldozed to make way for a new Aldi after the Budgens shut down in March last year.
It was one of 34 stores that closed after their owner collapsed last year, causing the loss of 815 jobs nationally.
The announcement that Aldi would be opening came back in September and if it gets the green light by Walsall Borough Council, it could bring 50 new jobs to the area, both part-time and full-time.
Councillor Adam Hicken said he welcomes the plans but has concerns over traffic.
He said: “I welcome the plans finally being submitted. It is a year on from when I originally wrote to Aldi after the Budgens closed.
For the last eight months whenever I talk with residents, they always ask when the new Aldi is going to be built. It is on everyone’s minds. I did a survey recently and there were 560 responses and not a single one of them had anything negative to say about the development.
“Residents support it and I support it, and now it is whether the council will back it. That is the big concern. They need to get a move on. I hope they do not sit on their hands with this one and take their time.
“I think the appearance of the building will be better with one storey but I suppose anything will look better than a big derelict store.
“Traffic at the junction will need to be taken into consideration.
“There need to be talks about possibly introducing traffic lights or a roundabout.”
Under the plans there will be, 114 parking space with six disabled spaces and another six for parent and child along with eight cycle parking spaces.
The other three stores on the plot of land will not be impacted by the development.
STOAS Architects Limited wrote in the planning application on behalf of Aldi Stores Limited: “The proposed development will provide a much needed new local food retail store for the residential areas surrounding the site which currently have limited provision.
“There will be an increase in main food store provision that help meet the retail needs of the local catchment area by enhancing consumer choice.
“We believe the proposals represent a well thought out and sensitive response to the constraints of the site.”
