SALTASH Rugby Club has said it felt the need to publicly clarify its position ahead of a forthcoming consultation on plans for a new Aldi supermarket in the town, amid what it described as increasing confusion and misinformation surrounding the proposal.

The proposed development, which would see a new Aldi store built in Saltash, is being promoted as a major investment for the town.

Aldi has recently exchanged contracts with Cornwall Council and is preparing to submit a full planning application. As part of the process, a public consultation will take place on Wednesday (January 28), between 3pm and 7pm, at Saltash Rugby Club’s Moorlands Lane ground, where residents will be able to meet the project team and ask questions.

However, the rugby club has stressed, via a lengthy public statement, that it does not support the proposed development in its current form. Club chairman Noel Hill said Saltash RFC had become concerned public debate around the scheme had become “blurred and, in some quarters, heated”, with suggestions the club stood to benefit from the plans.

The club explained that in 2021 it was approached by Cornwall Council about taking on the maintenance and development of the football pitch at Lower Burraton Field. The proposal, which was to form part of a new lease, was welcomed and viewed as an opportunity for future growth, reinforcing the club’s long-held view of Lower Burraton Field as its home.

Mr Hill said that offer was withdrawn once Aldi expressed an interest in the land. Although the club has continued to use the pitch for training and youth fixtures, requests to formally rent the land were declined. A new lease for the Moorlands Lane site was eventually completed in May 2024, but the club said information about the supermarket proposal remained limited.

It was not until October 2025 – almost three years after first becoming aware of Aldi’s interest – that Saltash RFC was invited to a meeting with the developer’s agents. While concerns around drainage, access, public rights of way and floodlighting were raised, the club says it has received little meaningful feedback.

Mr Hill added: “As it stands, the club does not stand to gain anything from this development. On the contrary, we face the loss of valuable green space in the form of a rugby pitch.

“We have not seen any independent drainage report which is a further cause for concern. The proposal also restricts the future development of a club that is already operating at capacity.

“If anyone believes Saltash RFC stands to profit from this proposal or the club is in any way aligned with Aldi, that is simply not the case. This development is being driven by CCC as the landowner, and the club has no influence over decisions beyond our leasehold area.”

While stressing it is not opposed to Aldi as a retailer, the club argues the store would be better located elsewhere, allowing Lower Burraton Field to remain green space. It is urging residents to make their views known either online or by attending the public consultation.