A Bridgnorth cut-price store site ‘war’ has emerged with a second plan in the pipeline. Owners of Chartwell Park, off Stourbridge Road, claim their scheme would mean a major jobs boost to the town – with the new store attracting other companies to build there.
They are to submit an application to Shropshire Council next week, hot on the heels of the first plan from supermarket giant Aldi for the nearby former college site.
There was a hint this week that Aldi could favour the second plan – for Chartwell – with Lidl also believed to be front-runners.
“We became aware, very soon after the Aldi plans were announced for the college site, that many people living in the vicinity of Stourbridge Road and in Low Town generally were opposed to a large food store opening there,” said Chartwell Development Ltd managing agent Stewart Hickman.
“There is apparently little opposition to a store such as Aldi or Lidl opening on the Stourbridge Road, but the potential problems in terms of traffic chaos, should a large store be sited on the ground formerly occupied by the college, are evident to everyone living in the area.
“We have developed Chartwell Park with one aim in mind, to support the town commercially as best we can, and we firmly believe that our site would be ideal for a large food retail outlet for many reasons.”
Plans for the college site also include a proposal by Persimmon Homes for 62 homes alongside Aldi.
For more on this story, see this week’s Bridgnorth Journal