Building to be demolished for new Aldi store

Plans for a new Aldi store in Rugby, with up to 40 jobs anticipated, have been approved.

The nine-storey disused Cemex House office building on the site on Evreux Way will be demolished, after Rugby Borough Council gave the go-ahead.

Council leader Michael Moran said it was "so important that key sites within the town centre are brought back into active use".

About 100 people would be involved in the construction phase, according to a statement prepared by Stoas Architects Limited on behalf of the food retailer.

It added the development would strengthen the retail mix within Rugby and encourage shoppers to visit the town centre and its other shops and services.

The approximately 1.6-acre site sits on the northern edge of the town centre and next to its "defined primary shopping area".

There will be nearly 100 car parking spaces, including six for people with disabilities and the same number of parent and child spaces.

Vehicles would be able to get to the store from Corporation Street via a new access road, the design and access statement on the council website said.

The approved plans included better pedestrian links and a new crossing to make it easier and safer for people to walk between the site and streets nearby, the authority stated.

Pedestrians and bikes will also go to the building from Corporation Street.

Moran added: "I'm delighted that the development will create new jobs and give residents more choice, including access to affordable food shopping in a convenient location."

More than 1,100 Aldi stores had opened in the UK since 1990, when the company entered the British market, the planning document said.

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