Aldi in plans to open new store in Albany Street, Newport

Plans have been submitted to Newport City Council by Aldi Stores Limited, seeking permission to build a Class A1 food store, along with access links, car parking, and landscaping.

The application relates to an empty chunk of brownfield land off of Albany Street – next to the Newport Lorry Park, and a short distance away from the Sainsbury’s superstore.

Formerly home to the R.J. Mason Transport Yard, the plot has stood empty for some time, but subject to planning permission, that could all change.

According to supporting documents, the supermarket chain is looking to replace its existing Barrack Hill store, describing it as “too small, on a constrained site, which is not able to accommodate a modern store format”.

While the existing store has served its local community for around 15 years, it is understood to be half the size of a modern Aldi store.

In addition, it has a shared car park with the adjoining Wickes store, and as a result, expansion potential is limited.

While the proposed new store is near to an existing supermarket, it has been claimed that moving to Albany Street would enable Aldi to open “a new and improved store facility serving a similar catchment”.

Documents show that the new store would have a 1,315 square metre shopfloor, significantly larger than the 650 square metre retail space at Barrack Hill.

The car park proposed would have space for 113 cars, including disabled bays, electric vehicle charging points, and designated click and collect points.

An access point onto Albany Street would be created, and it is understood that the bulk of traffic would access the site from the junction off the A4042.

In addition, plans suggest that the new store would create 40 jobs – 15 more than the existing Barrack Hill store.

Haven’t we been here before?

Simply put, yes.

In February 2020, Aldi controversially secured planning permission to build a new store on this plot of land.

Permission was secured here, despite planning officers recommending that the application be refused.

But, Newport City Council’s planning committee gave it the go ahead, and this allowed for the R.J. Mason Transport Yard buildings to be demolished.

Plans were then delayed, and while the existing permission remains active, the new plans are substantially different to the extent that a new application has been needed.

The biggest change is the physical location of the supermarket building on the land.

New plans “propose to re-orientate the store building to the west of the site, with car parking and landscaping to the east.”

An Aldi representative said that “following a review of the approved proposal, the design team decided that a revised scheme is appropriate to deliver a store that meets Aldi’s requirements.”

What’s more, the applicant has argued that “the existing planning permission represents a significant material consideration”.

The planning application can be viewed and commented upon online here.