Supermarket firm Aldi has been given the green light to go ahead with proposals for land at the former Martello Caravan Park off Kirby Road in Walton-on-the-Naze, creating 40 jobs for the Essex town.
The brownfield site of 0.69 hectares is outside the town centre but is on its edge – and lies within the settlement boundary.
Aldi wants to put up a supermarket, associated servicing area, car parking and landscaping on the land which is close to Hamford Water Special Site of Scientific Interest, Special Protection Area and Special Conservation Area.
The application was backed by Frinton and Walton Town Council, and Tendring District Council received 63 representations – all in support, although three expressed some concerns.
Before submitting the plans Aldi undertook its own consultation exercise including distributing leaflets to 3,785 homes.
The results showed the 94% of those who responded were in favour of the proposal.
They welcomed an Aldi store in Walton as many did not have the transport to get to the firm’s Clacton store and they backed the job creation and the contribution to the regeneration of the area.
TDC decided that any negative impacts from the development are more than outweighed by the economic investment and regeneration secured by the scheme.
The company has also promised to improve nearby bus stops; create pedestrian and cycle accesses and provide a local recruitment strategy.
The proposal, which was also considered by Essex County Council as the Highway Authority, was approved, with 22 conditions imposed.
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