Aldi lines up Sunderland go-ahead
Houghton-le-Spring is the target destination for the discount supermarket group’s latest store in the region.
On Monday 30 September Sunderland City Council’s planning committee will consider the application from Aldi to develop a 20,000 sq ft store on a former bus depot plot at Philadelphia Lane, in the Copt Hill ward.
Officers have given a minded to approve recommendation.
Planning advisor Avison Young leads a professional team including Projekt Architects, Hydrock, CAD21, Nicola Hills Studio, Total Ecology, Andrew Moseley Associates, and Environmental Noise Solutions.
The site sits within an area given a major hybrid consent in 2014, encompassing commercial redevelopment of a listed former power station, along with 500 homes. The residential element of this is now in the reserved matters stage of the planning process.
Sunderland has retained consultant Hollis Vincent to advise on retail planning policy, the firm being asked to examine the sequential test evidence supplied by Aldi’s advisor Avison Young, Hollis Vincent ultimately agreeing with AY that the site fits the bill.
Typically, convenience stores of this size come in at around 20,000 sq ft, with around 14,000 sq ft of that being used as retail floorspace. Although the extant outline consent is slightly smaller than that, it is not regarded as a major planning issue.
The application can be viewed on Sunderland’s planning portal with the reference 24/00358/FUL.
