Major new supermarket approved for Cardiff suburb

Kieran Molloy, Local Democracy Reporter

A discount supermarket chain is set to come to a Cardiff suburb after the council gave it the seal of approval.

Earlier this year German supermarket giant Aldi put plans to Cardiff council to build a new supermarket at Wern Fawr in Old St Mellons.

Now the plans are set to come to fruition after receiving unanimous approval from the council’s planning committee.

The application did meet some resistance in the community.

According to a document presented before the planning committee 21 objections were received by the council including an objection from Old St Mellons Community Council, ward councillor Joel Williams, and Tesco.

The same document said 177 letters of support were received by the council with many citing greater consumer choice, access to cheaper groceries, reduced need to travel, and local employment opportunities.

One objection stated: “Old St Mellons is an affluent suburb of Cardiff and should continue this way. We should not be viewed as a development opportunity on a map, especially for an Aldi store.

“It is an established community with its own character, identity, and residential environment. Repeated incremental development risks fundamentally changing that character.”

Another reads: “The creation of Aldi is of no real benefit in what is quite an upmarket area. “

There is a school nearby and a lot of children use the paths around this area including the walkways in the car park.

“The increased traffic this is going to generate will certainly make this unsafe to navigate and impact the ability of school children being able to walk home through this area.”

Other concerns surrounded issues of overnight delivery, noise, traffic, and potential antisocial behaviour.

The community council objected on the same grounds as well as the fact that if permitted “ such an application will change the nature of the area which is a quiet residential district”.

The plans were met with more enthusiasm from the planning committee.

Cllr Michael Michael, who represents the nearby ward of Trowbridge, said the supermarket would be of “great benefit” to his constituents and those of nearby wards.

Additionally he called the idea a “great use of spare space” and joked: “If there was a Waitrose or possibly a Fortnum & Mason we probably wouldn’t get a complaint from the community council.”

Other councillors sympathised with the traffic concerns expressed by local residents but acknowledged the council’s highways department saw no issue with the application.

In reference to the nearby Tesco superstore Cllr Emma Reid-Jones said: “A bit of healthy competition is what is good – it can only help the residents and wider residents.”

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