Just over a week after Aldi started public consultation on proposed new stores in Liverpool and Wirral, creating 80 jobs, the supermarket giant announces plans for another outlet employing 40 people. Andrew Brown reports
A new Aldi supermarket could soon be built at Ainsdale in Southport, creating 40 new jobs.
Aldi has submitted a full planning application to Sefton Council to build the new 20,000 sq ft store at the Sandbrook Way local centre, to the west of Sandbrook Road in Ainsdale, next to St John’s Church and the Ainsdale Centre for Health and Wellbeing.
This news comes just over a week after Aldi started a public consultation on two proposed new outlets in Liverpool and Wirral, creating 80 jobs.
Proposed opening hours of the Ainsdale store would be 8am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 6pm Sundays and bank holidays. The scheme would include 117 parking spaces.
It would become the third Aldi store in Southport, adding to Aldi sites already operating at Meols Cop retail park in Blowick and Liverpool Road in Birkdale.
This proposed site is a brownfield plot of land currently housing several buildings including several residential and retail properties many of which are vacant and in poor condition, which are now due for demolition.
Sefton Council has acquired most of these properties with a view to bringing the site into their ownership. It has been working with Aldi to bring the site forward for redevelopment with having expressed long-term aspirations to improve the Sandbrook Way local centre.
Aldi says its new development would “bring a new, modern food store to the local area, improving the appearance and environment in the area” as well as enhancing the local retail offer for residents in Ainsdale.
The project would involve the demolition of all existing structures and the construction of a new foodstore with supporting access roads, car parking, servicing area, hard and soft landscaping, electrical substation and site infrastructure.
Of the 117 customer car parking spaces, there would be eight disabled bays, six parent and child spaces and eight electric vehicle charging spaces.
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Aldi said: “An Aldi store is a modest scale supermarket often fulfilling a neighbourhood shopping role as well as attracting customers from the surrounding area.
“Aldi’s customers generally use other shops and stores alongside Aldi in order to fulfil their grocery shopping and local service needs. Aldi is, therefore, complementary to the existing pattern of trading in both existing local/city centre shopping areas.”
Residents can find details about the plans and give their feedback online, by calling the Freephone information number 0800 066 8941 or emailing no***@********************co.uk