Rother District Council has released the detailed planning applications for the Aldi supermarket, retirement flats and private homes proposed for the Winchelsea Road site.
However, RDC will also conduct a statutory consultation on the project, which may — or may not — set back the August 30 to September 5 planning decision window for the tri-partite proposal. The developers say their own consultation earlier this year garnered 85.7% local support in terms of feedback comments.
Should planning permission be granted, the 1.57-hectare site will accommodate a single-storey Aldi food store with 107 parking spaces, 16 private houses built by Decimus Property and a large 3.5-storey McCarthy Stone building housing 44 retirement apartments.
Although there has been significant pre-application communication between the developers, RDC’s planning team and the Environment Agency, approval of the project is not a given. Vehicular access to the site needs to be sorted out and flood risk mitigation measures verified as the EA says the area has “a medium chance of flooding”.
The current access junction connecting the site to Winchelsea Road has been “identified as being inadequate”, despite its current use, and a highway engineering consultancy is designing a solution. It’s unclear whether this will be an “upgraded version of a simple T-junction” or possibly a three-arm mini-roundabout similar to a design the consultant has already provided for Aldi elsewhere in the UK.
Located to the south of the River Brede, the brownfields industrial site is designated a Tidal Flood Zone 3 and it lies about 2.6 metres below the elevation of Winchelsea Road. The Aldi store will in fact be built on the highest point at the north of the site, at 3.44m above sea level. Rye Neighbourhood Plan designated the area for mixed use development.
The low-lying nature of the location has its pros and cons. An advantage is that the supermarket and the large retirement building will appear less prominent from the main road — although there has apparently been some public unease about the size and height of the latter structure, because it will also overlook the adjacent High Weald National Landscape (AONB). A downside is the flood risk and high water table, although flood defences are said to be in reasonable condition.
Flood risk will be reduced by directing excess surface water to a ditch in the southern corner of the site, building a “floodable void space” under the retirement accommodation, installing permeable paving in the car park and creating rain gardens / swales. Solar panels will be fitted to the supermarket’s roof and the loading bay design is aimed at reducing noise. It appears likely that operating hours of the food store could extend from 7am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, with more restricted trading on Sunday.
Aldi will donate surplus food to charities, daycare centres, children’s breakfast clubs and so forth.
While Aldi wants the 7.2-metre-high store to be visible by passing traffic on Winchelsea Road, it also aims to provide “clear vistas” from the road through to the National Landscape beyond.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Rye is classed as being at a high risk of unexploded ordnance (UXO), although this threat seems unlikely to have a major impact on the planning applications.
It’s believed that pressure from Rye Town Council and others has now led to a greater percentage of one and two-bedroom homes being proposed, along with increased landscaping of the site, which will also include footpaths and cycle access. There’s an additional meeting of councillors at the town hall on Monday July 15 at 6.30pm when Rye Town Council will meet to discuss it’s response to the development.
One comment to the developers struck a note of urgency: “Please just make it happen. We are in desperate need of a new, affordable supermarket.”
* Residents can lodge comments on the planning applications by the deadline of 2 August by going online to rother.gov.uk and following the links to Planning and Building Control. The project reference numbers are RR/2024/976/P (Aldi), RR/2024/960/P (Decimus) and RR/2024/949/P (McCarthy Stone).
Image Credits: Harris Partnership , James Stewart .
It sounds like exactly what Rye needs! Another supermarket to provide competition to Jempsons and provide choice for consumers.
Also, well done to RTC for applying pressure to increase the number of smaller, more ‘affordable’ homes. These should be reserved for family homes and protected by covenant from ever becoming rental, or holiday rentals. Hopefully sensible building like this will go some way to meeting the governments home building targets in small towns like ours.
Hear, hear!
Please do feel free to email me on your submissions and thoughts regarding this application, as I am keen to hear constituents views. Email: hello@helenadollimore.com
Best wishes, Helena Dollimore MP
Of all the supermarket chains, I welcome Aldi the most. I think its fresh produce is of excellent quality at a very low price. – vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat etc. Access to affordable fresh food will benefit the health of Rye residents and surrounding villages who will be able to walk or travel by the bus.
I think the planning authority should ensure that only a architectural design using good quality materials is approved and that the signage is not intrusive. After all, Rye is a town of architectural and landscape importance. (For example, Bideford in Devon has an Aldi clad with very attractive local stonework).
my concern is the access onto and off site . The road is narrow and not enough width on Winchelsea Road for a roundabout unless land on the riverside is added ( presumably not an option ) .
Please make sure that nesting sites for swifts and house martins are provided especially on the high-rise retirement apartments building. It is the simplest thing to insert swift bricks when a new building is being erected. Also there is no extra cost to the builders.
This is very important. Please note. It has been much noticed that all our birds are in serious decline, loss of insects, nesting sites, habitat, feeding grounds.
Quite a few of us, who are no longer spring chickens, hope the Aldi project becomes a reality while we are still relatively mobile! Our pensions buy less all the time, while mandatory payments for services (e.g. water) are rising inexorably. So yes, roll on Aldi in Rye.
Just what Rye needs competition against Jempsons. Not that Jempsons isn’t good quality but we need a cheaper alternative in the area. Roll on Aldi.
All this fuss by highways, when going into the site should be no problem, of course coming out will be know different than queuing and waiting,the same as in Ore, and Bexhill road in St Leonards.