Jempson’s says it can now prepare “for the future with certainty” after Aldi was finally given planning permission for its new store in Rye. “We will continue to review, renew and re-shape our offer,” said Stephen Jempson from the local retailer.
Aldi said it was looking forward to work starting on the site and thanked people in Rye for their support.
Rother District Council’s Planning Committee gave its unanimous approval to the new Aldi supermarket on Winchelsea Road on Thursday 12 February, subject to a number of conditions on jobs, road access and bus services.
Proposals for the new supermarket were submitted in June 2024. In the 20 months since, there has been a war of words between the local and international firms, centred mainly on a dispute over the scale of the financial impact on Jempson’s Rye store and the town centre in general.
The report to the committee last week recommended approval saying the benefits of a second supermarket in Rye outweighed the disadvantages.
Stephen Jempson told Rye News he was disappointed by last week’s decision. “We can prepare now for the future with certainty knowing what to expect. Rest assured, our ongoing commitments to all our suppliers whether local or national will not change. All our colleagues at Jempson’s, remain committed to serving our customers with the highest standards of customer service in all our outlets. This will not change either.”
He highlighted how the company was different by being local. “We remain focused to bringing the best value local and homemade food to our customers, that this special part of Kent and Sussex can offer. Our collaboration with Morrisons gives us access to over 25,000 products at everyday low prices from one of the UK’s leading supply chains. From the beginning of the company’s inception in 1935, we have never forgotten all our customers have a choice of where to shop. We will continue to review, renew and re shape our offer as circumstances change now and in the future.”
Aldi’s Estates Director Rob McClellan said he was delighted the committee had unanimously approved the plans, following a strong recommendation from planning officers. “We want to extend our sincere thanks to the people of Rye for their support throughout this process. We look forward to continuing work to deliver the comprehensive redevelopment of this site – delivering a new Aldi food store, new homes from Decimus Property and McCarthy Stone Retirement Living apartments. We hope to get started on site later this year.”
The plans for the new homes and retirement housing have been delegated for approval by RDC’s planning officers. Last week, Decimus told Rye News it hopes to start work preparing the site in May/June this year, with building work to follow later in the year.
Image Credits: Nick Forman , David Worwood .