A controversial planning application for a new supermarket in a Leeds suburb has been recommended for approval.
Aldi have submitted the plans for a 1,638sqm-store, off Harrogate Road, near the Yorkshire Bank, on an environmental eyesore which has been earmarked for development for many years.
Around 150 complaints have so far been received by Leeds City Council, although planners said a bug in their system meant the same person could make numerous objections therefore producing unreliable data.
Initial plans were put forward earlier this year by the supermarket chain with planners saying they were likely to be rejected unless the store was built towards the front of the site – facing onto Harrogate Road, with car parking at the rear.
However, after a site visit and presentation by the applicants, members of the Plans Panel agreed that positioning the store at the back would also be allowable.
The report to the meeting concluded: “The development of this site for a food based retail store is considered appropriate.”
Planning officers are advising that if the plans go ahead, an agreement for Aldi to pay around £60,000 towards the upkeep of the local area must be put in place, including managing the heavier traffic flow and to improve public transport to the area.
