It's third time lucky for Aldi as plans approved

Perth and Kinross councillors have voted - against planning officers’ recommendation - to approve a new £5.5 million Aldi in Perth, creating around 16 new jobs.

- KATHRYN ANDERSON

It is the third time councillors have approved plans for the supermarket chain to replace its Glasgow Road store with a larger, modern, store on Necessity Brae.

On Wednesday, Planning and Placemaking Committee convener Ian Massie moved for approval with the support of all bar one on the committee.

Aldi has two Perth stores and, as part of a legal agreement, its new store at Pickembere, Pitheavlis would not open until the existing Glasgow Road store closes.

Planning permission for the replacement Perth store was initially granted - by PKC - in May 2022.

In February 2023 councillors were asked to re-assess Aldi’s application and again voted for approval.

But the approval was then subject to a judicial review - following a legal challenge by rival Tesco - and the Court of Session quashed Aldi’s planning permission on April 26, 2024.

Following the judicial review, Aldi submitted a revised application to PKC this year.

There were 22 letters of objection - including one from Tesco, which has three Perth stores as well as a petrol station store in Scone.

Tesco's objection stated the Aldi application was not a small-scale neighbourhood retail development, that the site was allocated for employment use, and the “limited benefits” were not “adequate to determine the application other than to refuse”.

Perth Community Flood Aid also objected, raising concerns about flood risk saying the area next to the site had flooded at least five times in recent years.

PKC planners recommended refusal of the application saying it was “an out of centre location and is not allocated for new retail development” and “would encourage diversion of existing footfall and spend away from the city centre”.