Many of you will already know from reports in the Rothwell Record and Yorkshire Evening Post that Aldi has agreed to my demand that it reduces its latest delivery times to 8pm. However, it still hasn’t agreed to reducing its actual store opening times. This is unacceptable as it is not what is best for local residents, who include older people in sheltered housing and families with young children.
This is against the spirit of what was discussed at the public consultation stage when Aldi gained the support for their store proposal from many residents, Rothwell councillors and the Rothwell neighbourhood forum. Residents have been reasonable with Aldi, and it is important that the nearest neighbours are given proper consideration.
Many Rothwell residents have told me they support the principle of Aldi coming to Rothwell but not at the expense of those nearest the store. Whilst many welcome the choice an alternative to Morrisons would bring and I would welcome up to 50 jobs for local people, I believe Aldi must be held to it’s word.
I have told Leeds City Council’s planning department that this is too important to be decided by council planning officers and that Aldi must come and justify its application before the council’s planning panel which is made up of councillors from all political parties from across Leeds. I will also be allowed to make a speech to the planning panel to put the case of local residents who want shorter opening times. The developer who is converting the old Rothwell Primary School into new homes is also intending to speak to the panel to argue for shorter hours.
Aldi’s argument that its stores close at 10:00pm is simply untrue as a quick run up the ring road in Middleton will show you. Aldi’s new store there closes at a much more civilised 9:00pm. If anything the Rothwell store is even closer to houses, with families with children within a close proximity to the proposed store and older people in sheltered bungalows, and of course, next to even more housing when the new primary school development is complete.
Those of us who attend the Rothwell neighbourhood forum meetings in Morrisons know that late at night, although Morrisons opens until 10pm, customers are scarce at that hour.
I’ve written to Aldi again to thank them for changing the delivery times and to tell them that we won’t accept such a late closing time up to 11:00pm.
If you want to object to the opening times then you can still submit your comments to the planning department here. It would be helpful if you send a copy of the comments you send to the planning department to me at karen.bruce@leeds.gov.uk so that I have as many arguments as possible to use to support local people.
