Aldi’s Proposals for Macduff

Aldi, the award-winning discount food retailer is delighted to be updating you on our proposals to bring a new food store to Macduff as part of a wider masterplan.

Aldi has long wanted to expand the offer of its amazing value and choice to the residents of Macduff, and the store would be our first site in Macduff and Banff, and our sixth in Aberdeenshire.

The draft masterplan is being prepared by Aldi and your feedback will be used to inform the masterplan prior to submission to Aberdeenshire Council for approval. Once approved, the masterplan will be used to inform detailed planning applications that may come forward for individual development plots, including Aldi’s proposals to develop a new discount foodstore.

 

Status of the current Aldi planning application

Aldi’s original planning application for a new store on this site was approved by Aberdeenshire Council in August 2022, however this decision was legally challenged in January 2023 via a Judicial Review (JR). As a result of this process, the planning permission previously granted for the new food store was quashed. Therefore, the planning application (ref. APP/2021/2526) remains live and will need to be re-determined under the latest planning policy framework.

Since the original application was made, the planning policy framework for the site has changed. New planning policy documents, including the National Planning Framework (NPF4) and the Aberdeenshire Local Development Plan (LDP) 2023 have come into force and now form the statutory Development Plan for the site. Therefore, before Aldi’s planning application can be redetermined, additional submissions to the Council are required to respond to the new Development Plan, including the requirement for a masterplan to guide development on the site.

It is Aldi’s intention to submit revised plans and supporting documents to the Council following conclusion of this masterplanning process, to allow redetermination of the planning application to take place later this year. If the planning application is approved, Aldi hope to open the new Macduff store in 2024.

 

Have Your Say

Do you support our masterplan for Duff Street, Macduff? Aldi is committed to consulting the local community on our emerging plans.

We’ll be holding a public exhibition to enable you to explore our initial proposals in detail, ask questions and provide feedback on our proposals on the following date:
Buchan Hall, Macduff – Thursday 27th April (3pm-7pm)

We are interested to hear your views, comments, and suggestions.