Councillors have delayed a decision on controversial plans for a new Aldi paving the way for it to be approved against the advice of planning officers who wanted to refuse it.
The discount supermarket chain had applied to Tameside council to build its fifth foodstore in the borough at Snipe Retail Park in Ashton-under-Lyne.
This would have seen the existing Pizza Hut and former Carphone Warehouse stores demolished to make way for the supermarket, which would have covered nearly 2,000 sqm.
But 120 residents, as well as Transport for Greater Manchester had objected and the plans were recommended for refusal by council officers.
Both the highways authority and TfGM said that revised transport proposals put forward by Aldi would not be enough to resolve the impact on the traffic network, pushing the junctions to operate beyond capacity.
“The resultant congestion upon the surrounding network would be unacceptable and the application has failed to demonstrate that they can be appropriately mitigated,” the report states.
However at a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday, Tameside panel members said they did not agree with the reasons put forward to reject it.
Instead a majority of councillors agreed to defer the decision to give Aldi more time to work with the council to agree a better traffic plan through conditions.
It means that the application could be approved when it is presented next in front of the committee.
Officers had deemed the building design of the proposed Aldi as ‘uninspiring and dominant structure’ in their report.
Principal planning officer Steven Kirkham said this would mean the loading area and plant machinery faced onto Manchester Road which was ‘visually harmful’ to the prominent location.
He added that a revised transport put forward by the company meant that a lane would be two narrow to accommodate two lanes of traffic in and out of the site, causing highway safety issues.
Patrick Franks, head of property at New-Era Properties, which owns Droylsden Shopping Centre had objected to the plans because he said it would jeopardise the opportunity to bring in a similar operator into Droylsden, helping boost the regeneration of the town.
In their report planning officers had included the fact there was a more ‘sequentially’ preferable site in Droylsden to accommodate the store as a reason for refusal.
But councillors said that the town hall was ‘not able to force Aldi to move to Droylsden’.
Adam Robson, speaking on behalf of Aldi said they had been offered the unit in Droylsden three years ago and after exploring the possibility found it was not suitable for the business.
“We do not dismiss a site like this without very good reason,” he added.
“It is disappointing that despite the technical evidence before your officers, they consider that they know how a retailer like Aldi functions better than we do.
“Planning has long moved on from trying to adopt an approach which attempts to shoehorn retailers into a space that simply doesn’t work for them.
“I want to be crystal clear that irrespective of the outcome of the application we will not change our view that the site in Droylsden is totally inadequate and one which we will never progress.”
Mr Robson added that he disagreed with officers’ critique of the proposed appearance of the building.
“All we are trying to do is build a retail unit on a retail park and it is very similar to stores that we are building across the country,” he said.
Stalybridge South Councillor Doreen Dickinson queried whether the traffic issues and design concerns raised by officers around Snipe Retail Park would prohibit any business opening on the site.
“To me it’s saying that nothing could ever go there, because whatever goes there will make traffic,” she said.
“Car drivers drive to a retail park. If I pass a retail park I expect it to look like a retail park, they’re all tin cabins basically.
“I don’t think any of them are designed well, but then I don’t expect it for a retail park.”
Denton North East Coun Vincent Ricci added they would need a ‘crystal ball’ to confirm the predictions of the impact on the road infrastructure.
“Whatever we put there is going to increase the traffic going up to the Snipe estate,” he said.
Hyde Newton Coun Philip Fitzpatrick told the meeting: “When I’m looking at the reasons for refusal, the first one is that it should be built somewhere, secondly that we don’t like the look of it, and then we get down to the traffic and what it may or may not do.
“I’m just really concerned and disappointed that I don’t feel you’ve given me today enough reason to refuse this application.”
A majority of councillors voted to defer a decision on the plans to the next meeting.
