Drop-in session for proposed Castle Douglas Aldi store attracts more than 60 people

More than 60 people took the chance to find out more about Aldi’s plans for a new £6.3 million store in Castle Douglas.

The supermarket giant wants to develop a site on Oakwell Road and hopes to have it open by the end of 2024 having previously set a target date of Christmas next year.

And last week the German firm held a drop-in session in Castle Douglas Town Hall to let people see the plans for themselves.

An Aldi spokesman said: “It was great to host our information session in Castle Douglas, particularly as we were unable to do any in-person consultation earlier this year due to Covid-19 restrictions.

“We were particularly encouraged by the support for the proposals from the local community with almost everyone that attended letting us know that they supported our plans for a new food store.

“We were thrilled to receive a significant level of positive feedback with 310 local residents (91 per cent of respondents) writing to confirm their support for our proposals and Wednesday’s event helped to reiterate the strong support we have locally.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that attended the event to hear about our plans or to let us know their views.

“We look forward to continuing to engage with residents and other interested parties as we progress closer to the application going before Dumfries and Galloway Council’s planning applications committee.”

Aldi claims the development will create as many as 35 jobs and won’t significantly affect the “vitality or viability” of Castle Douglas town centre.

However, an independent retail review prepared for the council claims the proposed store would risk putting other shops out of business.

Castle Douglas and Crocketford councillor Iain Howie, who attended the event, said: “During the short time I was there, at least 40 members of the public visited the exhibition and got to ask Aldi staff questions regarding their proposals.

“Without exception, all who I spoke to were in favour of the development as they saw it as a way of easing pressure on their household budgets during a time of rampant food inflation.

“There is a misconception that the Stewartry is a wealthy area free from poverty. That is most certainly not the case and any measures which can assist hard pressed families and individuals during the current crisis must be welcomed.”