‘A breath of fresh air in Stroud’ or ‘a damaging and devastating development’? – plans for Aldi continue to sharply divide opinion

More than 100 people have now had their say on the budget supermarket’s planning application to create a new shop at the Bath Road Trading Estate in Dudbridge.

The number of objections and comments of support is split almost exactly down the middle, exposing the difference in opinion over the polarising proposals.

The Aldi would be built just off the A46 on the former site of Stroud Auctions - just half a mile from rival Sainsbury’s.

The current empty warehouse buildings would be demolished to make room for the large 1,918 square metre store.

There would also be parking space for 116 cars and improved access from Bath Road and Dudbridge Road.

Aldi say this would create up to 50 jobs for the area and save customers travelling to Quedgeley or Gloucester to shop at the chain.

But critics argue Stroud doesn’t need another large supermarket and that the store will cause problems form many of the small business at the trading estate.

Andrew Powell from Stroud said: “I welcome this proposal - the new store will create many jobs for the local area in addition to providing more choice to the customer, much needed competition to the big four and great value products.

“Stroud can easily absorb another supermarket and I look forward to being a regular shopper to help lower the weekly grocery bill.”

Bath Road resident Gordon Fox said: “A shop like Aldi is what Stroud needs as a town and would vastly improve the shopping options available for residents.

“Aldi gives a very different shopping experience to any of the other supermarkets in the area.”

Geoff Wakefield agreed, saying Aldi would come as a breath of fresh air from the town’s more expensive shops like Waitrose.

“I speak to many people on lower incomes who are forced to travel to either Cirencester or Gloucester for shopping at Aldi just to save on the monthly shopping bill,” he said.

“We would all like to shop at Waitrose or Sainsbury’s but budgets dictate where we shop.”

Malcolm Balster from Paganhill commented: “Aldi provide genuine competition to the major supermarkets.

“With one in Stroud it would prevent people making extra car journeys to Quedgeley or Gloucester. It would also bring back into use disused building on the Bath Road estate.”

Christine Young from Cainscross said: “I wholeheartedly support the application by Aldi for a store in Stroud.

“Other towns seem to accommodate a discount store e.g Cirencester, Cheltenham, Gloucester, so why not Stroud?”

But Camilla, from North Woodchester, said the store would drive out smaller businesses and that the increase in traffic along Bath Road would be an “accident waiting to happen”.

“My father has worked on this trading estate for nearly 30 years, and will be forced to leave if this planning permission gets passed,” she said.

“This could possibly end his business that he has spent so long building up. This is also going to affect the other small businesses on the trading estate that have built a name for themselves.

“The traffic along the Bath road is already at breaking point, with the road way already significantly degrading in some places, without added traffic visiting this supermarket.

“This is also a horrible junction to pull out from if wanting to head in the Nailsworth direction. It will be an accident waiting to happen if increased traffic is entering and leaving the trading estate.

“I believed the Stroud council were in favour for the small business man, who lives and hires in the local community, instead wanting to give the area up for a huge international business. This is not the Stroud I have grown up with and loved.”

Jason from Stonehouse agreed, saying: “There are companies on this estate that have been established for over 30 years.

“Why would this foreign supermarket be granted planning to destroy local businesses and put local people out of work? Let’s get real, this cannot proceed.”

Naomi from Stroud argued the store would “cheapen” the area and cause traffic problems.

“To demolish and ruin so many people’s jobs and lives would be a disgrace to Stroud just to build a cheap food store,” she said.

“Not only would the location which has been a mill for 200 years be downgraded but the dangerous road that it leads out to has not been considered.

“When exiting the trading estate it’s extremely difficult with the current amount of traffic, let alone with the added shoppers that would be visiting the area.

“This is completely against what Stroud stands for a cheapening the area to be another scroungy town.”

Steven Cannon, a delivery driver who lives on Bath Road, added that the noise of goods being dropped off every day could be a problem for nearby residents.

“My main objection to the proposal is the extra volume of traffic the supermarket will create, having lived in my present house for 26 years I have seen numerous accidents with cars turning into and out of the Trading Estate,” he said.

“Cars that approach the estate from Stroud come down the hill and seem to get caught out by the dip in the road and the delayed vision this creates.

“Finally having been a delivery driver I know how noisy the process can be, I assume deliveries will be made seven days a week and at various different times including early mornings.”

Mark Wilkins said: “It’s just an entirely wrong location and would come at the cost of many small businesses employing over 120 people on the Bath road trading estate.”

The brownfield industrial site lies one mile south-west of Stroud and has bus links to the town.

It is located within an Industrial Heritage Conservation Area and lies just north of Lightpill Mill, a Grade II listed building.