Aldi

Brookhill Road, East Barnet

An effective pre-application stage including discussions with Officers and a coordinated community consultation exercise generated significant local support, enabling Planning Potential to secure a committee resolution to grant permission for a new ALDI store in East Barnet.

The proposal involved the regeneration of a former car showroom and garage in East Barnet to deliver a new ALDI foodstore offering 1,471 sqm of gross floorspace, supported by a 60-space car park.

Due to the site’s edge-of-centre location, it was necessary to provide detailed retail impact and sequential assessments to support the application. Our Planning and Retail Statement demonstrated that the site represented the most suitable location to provide a new foodstore for the area of East Barnet, providing much needed choice and competition. Design was also key to discussions, in order to deliver a careful design to respect the relationship with neighbouring residential properties, whilst providing an attractive street scene and overall positive regeneration of the site.

In addition to this, working alongside our sister company, Communications Potential, we conducted a comprehensive community consultation exercise, reaching out to local stakeholders and residents to ensure a coordinated approach and delivery of an outcome that benefitted all parties. This resulted in a high level of local support for the application – with 75% of consultees expressing support for the scheme.

Following a resolution to grant at committee, permission was secured in February 2018, with the store opening in late 2018. In response to local feedback, ALDI agreed to fund a new pedestrian crossing and deliver local employment.

 

Summary of achievements

  • Coordination of pre-application discussions with the local planning authority
  • Production of a detailed planning statement and retail impact assessment to address policy tests
  • Coordination of planning application preparation and submission
  • Coordination of a community consultation exercise, securing 75% support
  • Presenting to Ward Councillors
  • Project management of the consultant team
  • S.106 negotiation