Aldi in the market for new Rochdale town centre store

Rochdale town centre’s economy could be in line for another boost, with supermarket giant Aldi submitting plans for a new store on Mellor Street.

The popular chain has applied to build a store on the former Carter Brothers Site, just past the Asda supermarket, which has been empty for almost a decade. The plans, which include 113 car parking spaces, are expected to create 40 local jobs.

An Aldi spokeswoman said: “We have a successful track record of working with Rochdale Council across the borough, following the opening of our second store in 2010. The significant regeneration works in the town centre led us to explore the option of a third store and this site presented the ideal opportunity.”

Councillor Richard Farnell, Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “The fact that we are now receiving planning applications from big name companies like Aldi speak volumes about how well Rochdale town centre’s regeneration is progressing and how much faith the business community has in our plans. Any moves which will bring much needed investment and jobs are to be welcomed and our committee will consider these plans carefully in due course.”

The plans are expected to go before the Rochdale Township in the coming months before the Licensing and Regulatory committee make a final decision on the application before the end of the year. If the plan is accepted, Aldi plans to start construction in the new year, with the store expected to open in autumn 2015.