Hyndburn approves controversial Aldi store

Situated on the vacant 1.9-acre site between Steiner Street, Portland Street, and Fredrick Street, the supermarket will sit just a stone’s throw away from competing Asda, Lidl, and Tesco outlets.

Hyndburn Council approved Aldi’s controversial proposals to build a new store in Accrington to replace its existing, smaller branch off Argyle Street at its planning committee meeting on Wednesday. The decision was made in line with officer recommendations.

Both Lidl and Tesco formally objected to the application, raising concerns regarding potential damage to their trade.

Aldi is working with Lancashire property group Barnfield Developments on the project, which is designed by The Harris Partnership.

Typically for the German firm, the new store will be around 20,000 sq ft with a sales floor area of around 14,000 sq ft.

Visitors will have access to 112 car parking spaces, including four disabled and four electric vehicle charging bays.

Previously occupied by a residential estate, which was demolished between 2010 and 2011, the now-vacant plot will be accessed off Hyndburn Road.

The supermarket will sit 150 yards from Accrington’s Asda supermarket, an eight-minute walk from its main cut-price competitor Lidl, and an 11-minute walk from a Tesco Extra branch.

As well as competitor objections, residents also raised concerns regarding the fact that the land had been previously allocated for housing with arguments that the council should focus on getting shops in town centres.

Aldi first submitted plans for the scheme in August 2021. A like-for-like application was re-submitted in January 2022 following objections from consultant Urban Agile on behalf of the council.

Avison Young is the planning consultant for the scheme. The project team also includes SWF Consulting and Mode Transport Planning.

Want to learn more about the plans? Search for application number 11/22/0057 on Hyndburn Council’s planning portal.