Aldi will continue to search for a site to build its second Bury St Edmunds supermarket - after being forced to abandon multi-million pound plans for a new food store near Moreton Hall.
Aldi and Jaynic’s vision for a supermarket and innovation centre for businesses, along with retail and commercial kiosks including coffee shops and sandwich bars at Suffolk Park, would have created 400 jobs.
But West Suffolk Council recommended refusing their application, amid fears the out-of-town development would have an “adverse effect” on employment in Bury St Edmunds overall.
MORE: Aldi withdraws plans that would have created hundreds of jobs for Bury St Edmunds
As such the plans were withdrawn, with Jaynic saying it had “not been possible” to work with the council in this instance.
However, a spokesman for Aldi suggested the budget supermarket chain was still keen to add to its existing store in Dettingen Way.
A spokesman for the supermarket said: “Following the council’s decision not to support the Aldi proposals for a new foodstore at Suffolk Park, as this was seen as being contrary to planning policy, Aldi have regrettably decided to withdraw their planning application and are continuing their search for a suitable site for a second store in Bury St Edmunds, to alleviate the pressure on its Dettingen Way store and reduce the need to travel for those to the east of the town.
“It would like to thank the community for their support and patience.”
The original application was met with objections from New Anglian Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID), West Suffolk Council’s economic development service and other statutory consultees, including highways teams.
The planning policy statement said the scheme was expected to have “an adverse effect on employment generation”.
Mark Cordell, chief executive of Bury BID, said as the town centre faced unprecedented challenges caused by coronavirus “now is not the time to be allowing an out-of-town retail development”.
Ben Oughton, development director at Jaynic, said: “From the outset, we have always made clear our desire to try and work together with West Suffolk Council planning officers to help facilitate ongoing and continued investment by Aldi and Jaynic in Bury St Edmunds.
“Aldi has a clear need for another store in the east part of the town and there is overwhelming support from the public and local businesses for the complementary amenities at Suffolk Park. However this is not a view shared by the council.”
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