Council pulls objection for new Aldi supermarket

A council that approved an Aldi supermarket but then withdrew support last year has said it is happy for it to go ahead.

Wokingham Borough Council initially approved the plan for land to the south of Gazelle Close in Winnersh in December 2023, before rescinding permission last June.

The Environment Agency had objected after it said it had flooding concerns over the nearby River Loddon.

A planning inquiry will be held by inspector Alison Dyson this month to finally decide if it should go ahead.

Council planning officers said, following new information, they believed the scheme would not result in an increased flood risk "elsewhere" and that its basis for objecting to it had therefore "fallen away".

An extraordinary meeting of the council's planning committee approved the officers' view on Wednesday.

The decision will be shared with the planning inspector when the inquiry starts on 13 May.

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