Flooding fears over plan for new Aldi store

Councillors want action to be taken to minimise flooding near a new Aldi

Concerns have been expressed about flooding at a possible new Aldi store.

The discount retailer has submitted a planning application for a new store at Farmers Roundabout just off Bradford Road in the Wiltshire town of Melksham.

Andrew Griffin, councillor for Melksham Without West & Rural, warned the area is prone to flooding, telling BBC Radio Wiltshire: "There is an ongoing historical problem on that stretch of the road."

Aldi plans to create a new drainage swale along Bradford Road to mitigate the flood risk and a spokesman said the company is 'grateful' for the feedback received.

On November 25, a Melksham Town Council meeting involved a presentation about Aldi's proposals as town councillors discussed the issue.

Melksham's deputy mayor, Jennie Westbrook, stressed she had "no issue" the construction of the store and flooding was the only concern. During the meeting, she told developers: "That road is going to be your number one issue."

Speaking after the meeting, Ms Westbrook added: "That road floods multiple times a year, sometimes multiple times a month."

The design plans submitted which show the proposed Aldi next to Bradford Road

Currently, there are plans in place for a "evacuation" plan for the proposed Aldi store, which would be activated if a flood alert was issued.

Mr Griffin, speaking after the meeting, added: "If it is possible to do something [about the flooding] then we should.

"To give them credit, the developers have modified plans to have pedestrian access away from the worst stretch of flooding and to have an alarm system which would evacuate people before they could get trapped inside."

The new Aldi store would be larger than its predecessor and include larger aisles and more parking, including accessible and EV spaces.

Matthias Dally, real estate director at Aldi, said: "We are grateful to Melksham Town Council for letting our team attend their meeting on Tuesday.

"We explained the amendments that have been made to the plans in response to feedback raised during Wiltshire Council's statutory consultation – including creation of a new drainage swale along Bradford Road."