Councillors voted to approve an Aldi store for Winnersh after intense debate about the safety of the junction leading to it.
Members of Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee approved Aldi’s application for a store off Gazelle Close at the committee’s December 13 meeting.
But councillors were unhappy that options for alterations to the junction of Gazelle Close and Reading Road were not laid out in the meeting agenda.
The junction currently allows right and left turns into Gazelle Close but only left turns coming out. However, drivers perform right hand turns to avoid having to go around the Showcase roundabout to travel towards Wokingham.
The meeting heard that options considered for the junction included creating a right-hand lane to exit Gazelle Close, a right hand lane to go into it, building a mini-roundabout on Reading Road or installing traffic lights.
It was decided that the existing arrangement was the best. The meeting heard that traffic backs up behind cars turning right into the site because drivers don’t realise they can move into the cycle lane on Reading Road.
Although members voted to approve the application, it still has to be referred to the Secretary of State (SoS) in case the minister wishes to call it in over flood issues. Once informed of it, the SoS has 21 days to decide.
The 10,124 sq m store, which will have 124 parking spaces, is on a one-hectare site next to Winnersh Fields Business Park, an area known to flood. However the site already has permission for a vehicle repair and sales development.
The meeting heard the development’s flood mitigation measures could reduce flood risk on neighbouring land.
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