Aldi supermarket plans in Amersham have been approved

The German giant plans will build its latest Buckinghamshire branch at 44 London Road West in the town, which is the site of the old Jaguar garage.

The decision was officially announced at a planning application meeting on Tuesday, June 12, despite a handful of objection letters.

One letter of rejection came from Tesco, which stated that Aldi’s sequential report had not been fully updated before the meeting but this was noted during the public discussion.

A design of where the supermarket will be in Amersham (Image: Buckinghamshire Council)

The approval means that both supermarkets will be separated by a two-minute drive along the A355.

Councillor Mike Shies said: “Members will be aware that this application was considered at the previous planning committee on April 30, with the decision being deferred to consider the following issues:

• To investigate amending the elevational treatments of the proposed building
• Revisit the condition which stipulates delivery operating hours (condition 21) to see if the evening hours can be reduced by one hour to 10pm
• Consider a condition which restricts HGV movements within the site during operating hours
• Further consideration of the access arrangements with a potential ‘left turn only’ for vehicles leaving the site

“Following the previous meeting, two neutral letters were received, one of which was from the Amersham Society, stating that members should ensure that the new building pays homage to the vernacular architecture and materials in the area.

“Two more letters of support were issued with one suggesting it would provide jobs, it’ll be a good addition to the local area, and it would be a good use of a brownfield site.”

What the design will look like once it's complete (Image: Buckinghamshire Council)

The supermarket will have warehouse space and staff accommodation on the first floor above a ground-level shop floor of 1195m2.

The car park will provide a total of 101 customer spaces, including five disabled bays and five for parents and children.

There will also be cycle parking, as well as four electric vehicles charging parking spaces, with infrastructure installed for the conversion of a further 19 such spaces in the future.

However, the car park spaces were a subject of debate during the planning meeting as councillor Stuart Wilson expressed his concerns.

He said: “The concern I expressed and continue to have been the series of assumptions that have been expected by the Highways Agency.

“At peak times during the weekend, when demand is greater than capacity, it can expected that the high turnover of spaces will limit the period of insufficient capacity.

“That would require a high turnover of spaces, but stacking spaces due to people turning in and leaving.

“Having spent 30 years in the grocery industry, people don’t nip in and out during the weekend peaks.

“There are greater queues and it takes people longer to go around the store as it's busier.

“I think there is an erroneous assumption and this is based on my experience in shopping, as there is a shortfall of 42 spaces.”

The councillor also revealed that the bays would be 2.5 metres when the parking size for Buckinghamshire is 2.8 metres.

Despite the argument, the plans to have another supermarket in Amersham were approved.

To watch the near half-hour planning meeting, visit https://buckinghamshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/884978.