Aldi to take on former Toys ‘R Us store in Bell Green [Opening in 2019]

https://se26.life/t/aldi-look-to-take-on-former-toys-r-us-store-in-sydenham/800

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I would be in favour of an Aldi store opening and really hope it gets the green light, its a retail park so I would be surprised if the traffic would stop this given that this was a Retail unit before and is not an additional unit.

Me too and it may make Sainsbury’s up their game.

Let’s keep the debate friendly please

Not everyone is driving there, I always walk down to get my shopping and so do others

No issues with this application as it’s already using an existing retail unit that would otherwise go empty. It’ll also save Lower Sydenham’s cost conscious from going to Sydenham or Catford to get their cheap food.

On what basis will it increase traffic and NO2 in an existing retail park with good access off of the public highway? I don’t want to get into whether this is wrong or right but you have to look at everything in the round - not knee jerk. It could reduce traffic and fumes?.. Some shopping habits may be shopping at Sainsbury’s/ Waitrose or ‘one the others’ and then a shop at either Lidl or Aldi for essentials… Having an Aldi next to Sainsbury, therefore, could reduce the traffic in the local area if this were the case?

Crux of it is we all need to get out of our cars - start walking and cycling. We all need to stop buying plastic bottles and food encased in plastic that ends up in the ocean, we all need to eat more local, in season, produce… and so on…

Public transport as I’ve mentioned before needs improving to Bell Green. A 3 bus per hour connection to Forest Hill is a joke, while the 202 avoids the retail park.

A lot of buses actually do go to the retail area. E.g. the 194. So it should be possible to catch another bus, if you get off the 202.

The point is we shouldn’t have to take two buses to get to the retail park. Perry Vale has had a dire bus service to FH ever since the 194 was cut back to Bell Green.

Don’t quite understand your point. Would you prefer to leave the site derelict? Or maybe have it used by an organisation that no one wants to visit? Surely there is a finite number of customers for supermarkets so it doesn’t really matter if they visit Sainsbury’s or Aldi. What would your solution be, bearing in mind that a cash-strapped borough like Lewisham can not afford to waste chances to earn revue.

toys r us will have been a1 use class, the same as Aldi. Opposing on a change of use will be futile because it’s strictly not a change of use.

The planning application is a change of use “Change of Use of the vacant ‘Toys R Us’ (A1 Use Class Non-Food) to an Aldi (A1 Use Class Food)”
At present the site does not have permission for “Use Class Food”
https://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online-applications/caseDetails.do?action=dispatch&keyVal=_LEWIS_DCAPR_96608&caseType=Application
So it is certainly not a foregone conclusion that A1 food would be allowed (in fact it was specifically limited by a judicial review when planning permission was granted). Whether this decision will be ‘under-ruled’ by the council after a number of years could be interesting to watch, but I would suggest that given the previous restrictions it might be better decided by the planning inspectorate, which has Secretary of State authority, and would be better to over-rule a previous judicial decision.

I agree with some of your points, especially about the railway bridge in Southend Lane, although I’m not sure how the problem could be solved without causing massive disruption for several months, not only for local residents but for everyone on the route attemptiing to reach central London by train. I believe that to compare the traffic problems at Bell Green with those suffered by the Aldi at Penge is disingenuous, however. The shop at Penge is at the junction of two major roads while Bell Green is on an industrial estate which can be accessed from two directions so I cannot see similar problems occurring. There are, of course, also two Aldi stores nearby, at Catford and Penge as well as four Lidls, so, again, I think you are exaggerating any traffic problems that might be caused and would suggest that Aldi’s aim would be to pinch customers from Sainsbury’s which, according to other posts on this site is going downhill fast. I know nothing about Hobbycraft stores, but my neighbour described them as ‘rip-offs for middle-class people with more money than sense, too much time on their hands and too lazy to visit local shops which sell the same goods at cheaper prices.’ If it does indeed come down to a choice between this and a place where you can buy reasonably-priced food in a cash-strapped area, it sounds like a no-brainer. Your suggestion that the whole site be redeveloped for housing is a lovely idea but do you suggest would pay for it? Incidentally, having lived in the area for half a century, I feel I should say that the standard of public transport has never been better, with at lease half a dozen bus routes passing through Bell Green serving almost every part of Lewisham.

The Aldi is never going to generate the same level of traffic as Sainsbury’s next door. If anything, it’ll encourage Sainsbury’s customers to shop in both stores.

Alddiiiiiiiiiii

I think they excavated under railway bridges many years ago to allow double-decker trams to go underneath. Presumably they could do the same at Bell Green.

If they’ve allowed the bloody horrendous McDonald’s there I can’t see them blocking Aldi. At least the river, park and surrounding roads won’t be covered in Aldi litter.

And it’s a retail park. The idea and highway design is for traffic to go there to do ‘drive to’ shopping rather than blocking high streets with crawling traffic and cars circling to find parking.

I for one would love to have an Aldi there.

Brilliant! A decent supermarket in the area!

Not sure developerswould be queuing up to pay Currys, Next, Halfords etc for the unexpired parts of their leases as well as the landlords for the land. In any case, since most of the owners of the new houses would probably be car owners, i don’t see how this would solve the pollution problem.

I misunderstood… you want to get rid of Sainsbry’s as well and build on the entire site? Blimey…that would be some development, and some congestion too

Terminating a lease depends on the terms of the lease. Also if the lease is within the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954, it may be renewed at the end of the lease.

Thanks for that. I think it’s irrelevant, though, as it’s never going to happen (fortunately in my view)

A drive-through takeaway’s generated litter and the air we breathe are entirely unrelated issues. So it is odd that you wrote this.

An Aldi will not bring swarms of new traffic to the area as there is already another one less than 2 miles away in Catford not to mention two Lidl stores within a few hundred metres of the proposed new one. Instead it will mean everyone who does live round Sydenham and Bell Green won’t have to drive two additional polluting miles across Catford to get to an Aldi if they want to as there will be one nearby. A nearby one that is also close to several other retail park type shops that they may or may not shop at in the same visit (unlike Catford Aldi.) Or does the rest of Lewisham not matter as far as pollution goes?

I’d rather it was Lidl way better than Aldi IMHO

I will either walk there or catch the bus.

Planners announced their decision today:

It looks like the locals on se26 dot life are less than happy about the possibility of Aldi taking over the store due to its likely negative effect on local traffic. I feel slightly bad because I am overwhelmingly excited about it! Head to Aldi, sneaky double cheeseburger at MCDonalds, pick up some new sneaks at Sports Direct then pet some bunnies at Pets at Home all before jumping in my pollution mobile and driving back to se23.

Given this application has now been granted and there is more A1 grocery retailing in Bell Green, it would be incredible for the planning inspector to allow more A1 grocery retailing next door. Certainly the cumulative impact on high streets would be even more detrimental and goes against national planning guidance. However, it would be wrong to assume that the correct decision will be made or that the inspector takes account of changing local realities when considering this application in isolation.

There are so many better uses for this site than a third supermarket within spitting distance.

Does anyone have any further information as to the timeline, here? What’s “next steps”?

https://se26.life/t/aldi-taking-on-former-toys-r-us-store-in-sydenham-opening-in-2019/800/26?u=chrisbeach

I have no objection to Aldi adding to the supermarket competition, which currently consists of the Sainsbury’s megastore and the nearest competition consisting of 2 Lidl stores on Southend End and Sydenham Road.
I turned 50 this year and I saw the former Gas Works site at Bell Green turned from derelict industrial site to the current, and ongoing, commercial site together with new housing on the same site and recently linking through to Lower Sydenham station.
Guess what? When you build new homes - people need more food supplies!
Therefore, when some folk post that the Toys R Us site should be given over to more housing stock , then my response is clear - how do manage to supply them with a reasonable choice of food supplies?
Bring on Aldi and any other food supply competition to keep prices reasonable.

Update from Aldi on Twitter: the Sydenham /bell green store will be opening in October 2019.

Brilliant. Can’t wait.

The sign is up.

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I think it’s great that Aldi is opening up - and still in the ‘keeping it friendly’ mode, I still agree that Sainsbury’s prices need the competition! I’ve just popped into Pets at Home next door, asking when the Aldi will be opening, as it all looks so close to opening day. The assistant said it was planned for a September opening but rumours were that it won’t be until November now as they’re having trouble recruiting! Rumours or true? I don’t know. However, if anyone needs a local job in retail - Aldi appear to be in need.

We’re discussing this over on SE26.life and the last report suggested an October 3rd opening date.

The new Aldi at Bell Green opened today. Anyone been yet?

Laid out nicely apparently

Could have more cheese

Just been. Very busy. Had forgotten it was their first day. All sorts of wierd stuff in the aisles as usual. Quite spacious - a number of people in wheelchairs seemed to be navigating OK.

Boo!