New Aldi plans in Mansfield under threat

Plans were given the green light for the discount store to open on Sherwood Oaks Business Park, next to the Golden Eagle off Southwell Road West, in October last year.

However, it was met with opposition amid claims the planning committee on Mansfield District Council did not fully consider the impact it could have.

The Chad reported in November that a legal challenge was being mounted by Arnold-based firm, Aldergate Properties Ltd, and on Friday the decision to grant planning permission was quashed by High Court judge, Mr Justice Ouseley.

Aldergate already has planning permission to develop an area of Mansfield town centre.

The company has been granted permission to build on Belvedere Street and include a hotel, restaurant and at least 4,000 sq m of retail space.

The firm argued that their own site may fail to attract investment if Aldi opened, despite being more than three miles from the town centre.

The judge ruled that the planning committee has ‘misinterpreted’ the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines in regard to ensuring the ‘vitality of town centres’.

Mansfield District Council’s planning committee had unanimously voted to approve the plans.

It is understood that the application will now put before the committee again for further discussions.

The application to build a new Aldi store was put forward by Regal Sherwood Oaks Ltd on a patch of waste land on Oakleaf Close, off Southwell Road West.

They claimed the move to open the store would create up to 50 new jobs.

It would have been the third Aldi to have been built in the area, with one already existing on Mansfield Leisure Park, with another currently being built on the old Pegg’s DIY store on Old Mill Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse.

The store on Oakleaf Close was to be around 1,925 sq m in size and have more than 125 car park spaces.