Inquiry into potential new Aldi to start in May

The government called in the application after Wokingham Borough Council withdrew permission

A planning inquiry will be held in May into whether an Aldi supermarket should be built on a floodplain after a council pulled its support.

Wokingham councillors initially approved the project in December 2023 but the authority reversed permission for the scheme on land to the south of Gazelle Close in Winnersh in June.

The Environment Agency had objected and said it would be at risk if the nearby River Loddon overflows.

The council's planning officers initially said proposed drainage was acceptable but they reassessed that view when the agency provided new information.

Following the council's withdrawal of planning permission, the government called in the application.

It will now be reviewed at the inquiry by planning inspector Alison Dyson ahead of a minister making a final decision.

An inquiry had been expected to start in August but it is unclear why that did not happen.