MORE than 100 Saltash residents turned out to an extraordinary meeting to hear proposals for a new Aldi store on the Burraton Field site in the town.

Emotions were high as the meeting, held in the town’s Wesley Church, provided an overview of the updated proposals for the controversial £10-million Aldi supermarket in Saltash, to be sited on green space off Callington Road.

Chaired by Cllr Brenda Samuels, a 20-minute presentation was made by representatives of Cavendish Consulting, acting on behalf of Aldi, which gave those in attendance a chance to hear the updated plans for the site.

Compared to plans from the public consultation in February, the store size had been reduced and reconfigured as a result of the pre-application consultation process, with 113 car parking spaces and EV charging. One car park space has been lost to achieve additional greenery and planting around the boundary of the site.

Concerns raised out of the public exhibition and consultation were loss of community space, drainage of the site, and the impact of store traffic on the already congested Callington Road.

Traffic surveys, which were carried out on May 14 and 16, provided details of local congestion, with a three-month monitoring at a site by Saltash Football Club. This provided neutral data to show that the two dates chosen were representative of the period.

The store, which sits in Flood Zone 1, would be set down four metres below the natural ground level to help alleviate noise from the store to local houses, with additional fencing to screen the external power plant.

Councillors were permitted to ask the first round of questions ahead of the general public.

Cllr Lisa Mortimore asked about alternative provision with the preferred option being further enhancement of the pitch at Saltash Community College to make it 3G for evening and weekend community use, with Aldi representatives acknowledging the school responsible for ongoing costs including pitch maintenance with terms set out in a subsequent 106 agreement.

A planning application is due for submission in November with work starting on site some time in 2027 if planning is granted.

Councillors queried the choice of the Burraton Field site, with representatives saying they had been looking at available marketed sites for the last decade.

Following a question from Cllr Scott Slavin, the representatives conceded that Treledan has been considered as a potential new site, but that was ruled out by Aldi.

Cllr Rachel Bullock also spoke about her route to the nearby Waitrose store being quicker to walk than drive from her house nearby, due to the traffic going all the way back to Saltash Fire Station.

The traffic expert said they had made suggestions to Cornwall Council that the traffic light sequence at Carkeel could be changed to alleviate the problems, which drew laughter from the audience.

The mayor, Cllr Brian Stoyel, highlighted the three lanes of traffic that were proposed, which he said “beggars belief” considering the heavy goods vehicles and buses already using that road.

Aldi spokespeople say they have used software and traffic surveys and want to “make the store right for themselves as well as their customers.”

There were also discussions about traffic congestion around the site at school leaving time to around 7pm in the evening.

Cllr Mark Johns also spoke about the traffic congestion, and why summertime monitoring wasn’t undertaken to find out the full impact of the proposals. Aldi said they would continue to ascertain the traffic situation working with Cornwall Council Highways.

Questions were then taken from the audience who had been asked to submit them in advance of the meeting.

Resident Barry Brooking spoke about the community and recreational use of the site - especially during the time of Covid when it had been fundamental to supporting the mental health of local people. He also pointed out that the plans, while suggest an alternative pitch, “make no account of the needs of older people.”

Beverly Gordon said Aldi would not be replacing like for like with the loss of the green space, adding: “I say no to Aldi”.

Suzie Williams questioned the proximity of the new store to Lidl, with the Aldi representation replying: “Ideally, we’d like to be as far away as possible but unfortunately, they are nearby. We’ve been looking in the area for many year for a suitable site.”

Members of the recently formed Save Saltash Green Spaces group were also in attendance and spoke passionately, receiving a huge round of applause from locals as they took to the stand.

The first question from Save Saltash Green Spaces queried the validity on the notice of disposal by Cornwall Council, siting an incorrect address meaning that the “existing Statutory Trust on the recreational ground remains in force”, and if Aldi enforce their option to buy, the Statutory Trust will be enforced against Aldi to maintain the site as recreational ground.

Despite having the public questions ahead of the meeting, no representatives present were able to provide an answer and said they would take it back to their legal team.

Their next question also raised the issue of the apparent lack of green space in the town according to one Green Space Index, contrary to data from Cornwall Council.

The chair then read out statements from members of the public who couldn’t attend, calling for the green space to be saved as a “clean air buffer” in the town with the ever worsening climate crisis, with another querying the new installation of floodlights and whether they had been funded by Aldi.

Chairman of Saltash Rugby Club, Noel Hill, vehemently denied any such funding and said the club had received nothing from the retailer.

The club’s president, Bill Ryan, said he's not against Aldi in principle but believed this sets a dangerous precedent, adding it was a matter of choice, and if “that piece of land goes, it’s gone forever.” The site of the expanded pitch offering at the school he said doesn't offer a viable alternative for picnics in the summer that the current space is used for - with the location of the school not solving all of the problems.

The biggest applause of the evening was for Cornwall councillor Sean Smith, whose grandfather sold the Burraton Field site to the then council for £1,000, who questioned what his grandfather would think if he could see the proposal on the table today.

He concluded: “Land can only be sold once and the financial benefit is short term. Please let it remain a recreational site.”

One member of the audience tried to ask a question from the floor which were not permitted in the meeting orders. After telling the chair to “get off her high horse” the audience member was reminded that further meetings would offer the chance for further questions.

The chair briefly called the meeting to order before closing it at 8.52pm.