Aldi planning approval to be reconsidered after rival supermarket complaint
A complaint by Lidl has prompted Dorset councillors to review the planning application for, rival supermarket, Aldi
Plans for a new Aldi supermarket at Canford Bottom in Dorset are set to be reconsidered by councillors following a complaint from rival retailer Lidl.
The original planning approval was granted by Dorset Council’s planning committee on September 3rd.
Lidl has since challenged that decision, claiming councillors failed to provide adequate reasons for approving the development.
Dorset Council disputes that assertion, saying the committee did give justification at the time.
However, after taking legal advice, the authority has decided the application should return to committee under what it describes as “exceptional circumstances”, while still recommending approval.
A report to the eastern area planning committee, which meets on January 14th, states: “Whilst officers disagreed with Lidl’s assertion that the committee gave no reasons for its decision, the council’s legal expert has decided that this constitutes exceptional circumstances under the Council’s Constitution so that the application should be returned to the committee.”
The proposal has been controversial because the site lies within the Green Belt, where development is normally only allowed in limited circumstances.
When the scheme was first approved, councillors concluded that the benefits of a new supermarket, especially for residents moving into nearby housing developments, outweighed the harm of building on protected land.
Some councillors also argued that the area could not be considered open countryside, describing parts of the site as semi-industrial rather than undeveloped Green Belt.
Planning officers are now asking councillors to maintain their approval but to clearly set out their reasoning.
Members are also being advised to specify what harm they believe the development would cause and how that harm is balanced against the benefits of the scheme.
If councillors again approve the application with expanded justification, the Aldi development would be able to move forward, though further objections cannot be ruled out.