Residents of a Lincolnshire town say there isn’t room for two discount supermarkets as a legal battle comes to an end. East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) granted planning permission to develop a new Aldi store on Spilsby Road, Horncastle, in November 2022.
A public consultation highlighted significant desire from residents to bring the new store to the town. However, construction was delayed after Lidl launched a legal claim on the grounds that ELDC did not consider its revised application for a new store in the town at the same time.
Lidl’s legal team understood that each planning application was to be considered at the same committee date. However, due to delays outside of Lidl’s control relating to additional information required by planning officers, the supermarket chain’s application had to be pushed back to a later committee, supermarket officials said.
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A judicial review challenge was then submitted by Lidl to ensure that each application could be “determined equally”. Aldi told Lincolnshire Live in February this year that it remained “committed” to opening a store in Horncastle despite the legal challenge. However, High Court judge Dan Kolinsky KC has since decided to revoke Aldi’s planning permission.
The situation was expressed by the judge as being one where “two stores are competing for one planning permission”.
A spokesperson for Aldi said: “We are disappointed by this decision. Our public consultation showed that the people of Horncastle really want an Aldi store and we have a deliverable scheme ready to go that is now being stalled unnecessarily.
“We remain committed to investing in the local community and will continue to work to bring unbeatable value and award-winning quality to Horncastle as soon as we can.”
A Lidl spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to bringing a new store to Horncastle and are therefore pleased with the court decision. This means our application will now be considered by the planning committee, ensuring that both applications are determined equally. We look forward to hearing the next steps laid out by the council.”
(Image: Aldi)
While both supermarket chains remain keen on opening a store in the town, residents have suggested that there may not be a desire for two. Chris Daniels, who has lived in the area for 25 years, said: “I think Horncastle definitely needs it because there isn’t a lot of competition here and there isn’t a lot of choice.
“Horncastle is growing and people have to face up to that. There’s a Tesco and two Co-ops but Co-ops are out of my price range, it’s crazy.” In terms of the town needing both an Aldi and a Lidl, she added: “I think one or the other, and whoever got in first should be given preference.”
A woman who has lived in Horncastle for 12 years, and wished to be named as Mrs Astle, said: “The town doesn’t need both of them, just one or the other. I tend to shop at Tesco and I find it quite reasonably priced. But perhaps having a Lidl or an Aldi would be even better.”
An East Lindsey District Council spokesperson said: “The council recognises the High Court’s decision on this case, and will not be appealing the result. We anticipate that the application in question will now be re-submitted to be determined by planning officers and the committee, although a timescale has not yet been set for this process.”
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