Nearly 200 people have objected to plans for a supermarket in Croydon to restrict its car park to being used by only its own customers, with a local MP fearing it will have a “devastating effect” on other businesses.
Croydon Council has received plans from Aldi to change the parking plan for its store on Brighton Road in Coulsdon to require drivers using the car park to make a purchase the supermarket.
The change seeks to add terminals in the Aldi store, requiring customers to enter their car registrations after paying for their shopping.
Planning documents from Connect Consultants, on behalf of Aldi, said that the car park had 50 spaces, with up to 23 of these spaces being used on weekdays by people not shopping at Aldi.
They said: “Till transaction data has been provided by Aldi, which when subject to a set of assumptions on modal split for car drivers and duration of stay, and compared to Parking Eye accumulation data, suggests that either the store car park is regularly used by non-Aldi visitors or that there is a high degree of trip linkage during weekday and Saturday periods.”
Planning documents said the car park was not sufficiently delivering its main objective of catering for the Aldi customers by providing a surplus of spaces when possible.
The existing car park management plan states that providing short term parking for customers not shopping at the supermarket was a “secondary objective”.
The plans have currently received 176 objections on Croydon Council’s online planning portal.
Chris Philp MP, who represents Croydon South, sent a letter to Croydon Council on August 3 to oppose the proposal.
He described the decision by Aldi to change the parking plan as a “U-turn” and feared residents who parked in the area were likely to be fined if they hadn’t bought anything in the supermarket.
Mr Philp told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I feel it is very disingenuous of Aldi to go back on this commitment, as the current car park management plan was included in the original approved application.
“It will also affect the people of Coulsdon, because parking is quite difficult and it’s really important for local businesses.”
He added: “If that car park gets restricted and only Aldi customers can use it, it will be terrible. It will be devastating for other businesses in Coulsdon town centre… I have written to Croydon Council in the strongest possible terms to object to Aldi’s proposal. It is vital that the car park remains open to all members of the public.”
Planning documents state customers are permitted to use the car park for 90 minutes.
It also said the parking management plan would be reviewed annually and if Aldi felt it was not meeting its objective.
The supermarket opened in April 2015 and sought to limit the car park’s use to Aldi customers shortly afterwards, but retracted the plans after backlash from the public.
They said about the current application: “The application does not propose a reduction in the amount of available car parking spaces. The restriction is that users of the car park will also need to be Aldi customers.
“The evidence provided in the accompanying [parking capacity assessment] demonstrates that on average customers spend 25 minutes in an Aldi store, leaving sufficient time for linked trips with other facilities and services in Coulsdon to take place.”
An Aldi spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Aldi remains committed to bringing high-quality, affordable groceries to the local community in Coulsdon.
“The amended plans to the car park form part of a review which was agreed at the initial planning permission phase and will enable customers to shop at Aldi whilst still making trips to the town centre.”
