A new Aldi supermarket could be given the go-ahead next week at a Wirral Council planning committee meeting. Aldi announced plans in September 2025 to bring a new store to Champions Business Park at the junction of Arrowe Brook Road and Arrowe Park Road in Upton.
The supermarket said it would be a £9m investment into the area and could create up to 50 new jobs.
Now the plans are up for approval at a Wirral Council planning committee meeting on 5 February. However, the planning application has been called in by Pensby councillor Mike Sullivan.
When the plans were submitted, there were 123 letters sent out to nearby businesses and homes. Twelve people came back with seven supporting the scheme, one who was neutral, and four against.
Those in support felt it would “provide competitively priced food” as well as praising accessibility, improved appearance in the area, good traffic management, and new jobs. The site sits on the corner of two extremely busy roads running to Arrowe Park Hospital as well as towards Greasby.
People who were against the idea said the land was not vacant and relocated businesses would suffer, that the plans “would exacerbate existing traffic congestion, air pollution, and parking pressure in the proximity of the site, undermining the character of the area”, noise nuisance, and competition with a corner shop.
A report produced by council officers said the two existing businesses concerned about having to move could not be considered as it was a commercial matter, not a planning issue.
Officers have recommended that the application should be approved and the roads around the new store would be able to cope with any increased traffic.
They added, “While objections have been raised to the proposal detailed within the report, a greater number of responses expressing support for the scheme have been received, welcoming the impact on local employment and greater choice of supermarkets in the area.”
When the plans were first put forward, Stephen Jones, real estate manager for Aldi, said, “The site is ideally located with excellent accessibility for local residents, allowing us to bring our award-winning products to the area while redeveloping a strategic brownfield site, and deliver a discount food store that complements the existing highways network.”
People were promised the new supermarket “would offer a meaningful alternative” and “regenerate a vacant brownfield site”. The site is currently a car park and an area of greenspace at the corner of the business park.
Aldi previously said it “has worked closely with Wirral Council’s Highways officers to ensure the proposed store would integrate safely and efficiently into the local road network.” Access would be from Arrowe Brook Road and the design includes dedicated loading bays and safe pedestrian access points.
Image: How the new Aldi in Upton could look. Credit: Aldi
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