The site is located at 47 Portsmouth Road and was formerly the Guy Salmon Jaguar dealership. It is now currently occupied by a tenant running a car sales / car wash.
In 2021, we submitted a planning application for a new store on the same site. This was refused planning permission by Elmbridge Borough Council in 2022, with the decision then upheld by a Planning Inspector.
The Planning Inspector’s report concluded that:
A new Aldi store would not have any unacceptable impact on local shopping areas or on local parking.
However, it was felt that the design would impact on the Conservation Area, the Angel Inn and some of our neighbours in Westville Road.
Our new scheme includes a substantially revised design – with reduced height and footprint and a more sympathetic façade – as well as improved tree planting and hedging, to address these previous concerns.
Previous, refused scheme
Our proposals for Thames Ditton offer:
An investment of £7million into the local economy
Creating up to 40 full-time equivalent jobs for the new Aldi store, paid at Aldi’s industry-leading rate, above the National Living Wage
47 car parking spaces including 3 accessible spaces and 4 parent & child spaces
4 electric vehicle charging points with additional infrastructure installed so further points can be added in the future
Additional employment opportunities created during construction and supported through the supply chain
Attractive landscaping incorporated around the site to improve its appearance and provide screening, including newly planted trees, hedging and elements of green wall
10% Biodiversity Net Gain
Proposed site plan
Design and Landscaping
The proposed elevations are shown below, with the dotted red line showing the outline of the previous design.
A sensitive new design
Our revised store design is intended to complement its setting within the local area and reduce the impact on neighbours: with substantially reduced height and a traditional brick façade, more in keeping with the local area and including feature brickwork.
Landscaping and Biodiversity
In addition, the revised scheme includes new trees and significant areas of shrub planting to the site, with hedges and green wall elements to break up the rear elevation.
The scheme will provide a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain – predominantly achieved on site.
The verified views below show how the proposed store will appear as viewed from Portsmouth Road and Giggs Hill Road.
Highways and Car Parking
Highways & Traffic
Aldi is undertaking a Transport Assessment as part of the planning application to a methodology agreed with the Highway Authority.
The assessment will look at access by foot, bicycle and public transport. It will test the suitability of the proposed access for customers, staff and deliveries. It will also test what impacts the development might have on the local highway network and propose any improvements that may be needed to ensure the proposed food store does not have an unacceptable negative impact on the local road network.
Access to the store will remain the same as the previous larger edition of the store, as this aspect was deemed acceptable by the Planning Inspector.
Access
The new Aldi store will be accessible by active modes of travel (such as cycling and walking) for existing and future residents of Thames Ditton and the wider area.
A new access to the site will be created from Portsmouth Road, which will be accompanied by a new signalised crossing on Portsmouth Road.
The access will be designed to ensure safety for people arriving by vehicle, bicycle or on foot.
The scheme will also include on-site cycle parking facilities.
Parking
The new Aldi store will provide free customer parking for 47 cars including 3 accessible spaces, and 4 parent child spaces. In total, there are 2 fewer spaces than the previous application, whilst the store size has reduced by 11% in sales floorspace.
In addition, 4 electric vehicle charging spaces will be provided with passive infrastructure to deliver a up to 20 further spaces if the demand rises.
Deliveries
Aldi stocks a carefully selected range of approximately 1,800 core exclusive products, compared with supermarkets such as Asda or Tesco that may stock over 10 times that number of product lines. As a result, an Aldi food store will require only three to four deliveries per day.
We operate store deliveries outside peak transport hours, where possible. All manoeuvring takes place within the site, and an efficient delivery ramp arrangement removes the need for external activity. This process not only saves time but also reduces any potential noise disturbance to neighbouring properties.
Contact us
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