Aldi's new Planning Application (2025/1182)

31 August 2025

Dear Resident,

You may be aware that Aldi has submitted a new planning application for a food store on the old Guy Salmon site on Portsmouth Road. The application has been available for public review for the past few weeks. We are aware (and the formulaic content of many of supporters' comments seems to support this) that Aldi are actively using social media to generate letters of support from people who are unaware of the details of the application or the potential adverse impact of Aldi’s proposals on the local area. To date, supporters' comments exceed those opposed to the application, but given the huge amount of local opposition to Aldi's first application, we think this latest one has so far slipped under many residents' radar.

How does Aldi's current application differ from the first one?

The application differs in limited ways:

• The height of the proposed building is reduced from two storeys to mainly one. Aldi are keen to show its apparent reduced impact in a computer-generated view from Portsmouth Road; however a two-storey section still bears upon properties in Westville Road and Rythe Court. Also, the building now has a larger footprint as it extends to the north, and is far closer to the properties in Westville Road than in the earlier refused application.
• Their previously inadequate car park has become slightly smaller
• The entrance/exit remains the same (safety issues)
• The proposed use of the site, hours of opening etc remain the same (disturbance issues)

The reasons for the previous application being refused, on appeal, were:

• The adverse impact of the food store and its activities on Giggs Hill Green, the Conservation Area, the Angel Pub (valued heritage asset) and the surrounding area
• The adverse overbearing impact on the properties at the rear of the site in Westville Road

While understandably a number of people would appreciate the convenience of having an Aldi on their doorstep, the proposed store would have a seriously detrimental impact on those who live and play in the immediate area. The limited changes in the current application clearly do not overcome the previous reasons for refusal.

Responding to the application

The RA will soon be submitting its objection to the Aldi application, and we strongly urge residents to submit their views. This is not a referendum, but it is nevertheless important that the planning decision makers know the strength of feeling on this issue as well as the details behind the concerns.

The deadline for comments is shown online as 5 September, however if this doesn't give you sufficient time to prepare your submission, comments submitted after this will still be considered (up until the time the planning officer drafts his report - which is unlikely to be before November). In the meantime, if you are concerned about the deadline, you can simply send in your objection to the council via the ‘Make a Comment’ button on the webpage for the application, or by sending an email to: tplan@elmbridge.gov.uk

For further information, see the news articles on the TDWGRA website.

Karen Randolph
TDWGRA Health & Community Convener
Rhodri Richards
TDWGRA Planning Convener