Residents rejoice as council rejects plans for Aldi near Bourne

Residents celebrated a big win last night as the council rejected plans to build a new Aldi supermarket near Bourne Wood.

After a lengthy and heated debate, South Kesteven District Council’s Planning Committee voted against plans to build a new discount supermarket on land north of West Road during Thursday’s meeting.

Local resident Peter Sharpe described it as “one of the most hated applications” put before the people of Bourne due to its close proximity to Bourne Woods, which many believed would negatively impact the visual landscape and local wildlife habitats, although Aldi argued against this.

The new branch, which was reportedly worth around £5 million, was expected to create 40 jobs for the local community. The plans also included creating 127 parking spaces, with four dedicated electric vehicle charging points.

District and county councillor Sue Woolley (Conservative) was among those who spoke against the application during the meeting. Afterwards, she said she was close to tears due to the heartfelt speeches of some of her fellow residents.

“It is a great outcome — it is the right outcome, especially for the residents of Bourne,” she said.

“We completely accept that houses need to be built and they will need shops, supermarkets, schools, etc. We all get that.

“But if only they would have much earlier conversations with the residents and check out where the sites are, because there are some really good sites for a supermarket available in Bourne — just not there.”

Local resident Norma Turner, 67, added: “I think we’ve had to rally very quickly to get this together again because this was all sorted last year. For Bourne to rally this quickly again, there is something that is so special.”

Anna-Marie Brown continued: “There are four entrances to Bourne, three of them are pretty mediocre—this one is stunning. It is absolutely beautiful and gives you a panoramic view of Bourne.

“Not only would we lose that view, but it would also impact the biodiversity of the area.

“In the last six days, I have worked tirelessly gathering the names of 302 people who have opposed the plans. They don’t oppose Aldi, they oppose destroying that entrance to Bourne forever. So, emotional and delighted that we’ve won.”

Peter Sharpe, on the other hand, came out of the meeting with mixed feelings. He explained: “There is no doubt in my mind that they will go straight to an appeal.”