Councillors have agreed to support Aldi’s plans for a new store at Winnersh in the latest move in a long-running saga.
The latest decision was made after Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee discussed the planning application for a third time at an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday (April 30).
The council voted to approve the plan for the store in Gazelle Close in December 2023 but the Government called the plan in over drainage and flooding issues and an inquiry was planned.
But before it could be held, the Environment Agency, which had not previously objected, changed its position, prompting the WBC to hold another meeting in June 2024 at which councillors voted for refusal.
Now, two weeks before the inquiry starts, the committee has supported the scheme due to a new drainage system put forward by Aldi which has been supported by the council’s independent consultant.
In answer to a question by Cllr Wayne Smith as to why the scheme was called in by the Government in the first place, principal planning officer Mark Croucher said: “They presented us a letter. It was in very broad terms but essentially it was the flood risk involved with it.
“To be perfectly honest, we were surprised it was called in when you consider the applications we would expect that they have on their books.”
The final decision will be made by the Secretary of State after the public inquiry which begins on May 13.
The site already has planning permission for a car showroom.
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