Aldi will offer two hours of free parking at its planned supermarket off Winchelsea Road in Rye.
The crucial move comes in response to recent criticism from local rival Jempson's consultant Peacock and Smith that Aldi's customers would not have enough time to make "linked trips" to central Rye.
In an email to Rother District Council (RDC) dated October 13, Aldi's lead consultant Avison Young agreed that a planning condition on the car park's time limit would be suitable. The two hours is half an hour longer than Aldi's original proposal of 90 minutes parking.
The planning decisions will be made at RDC’s Planning Committee which meets monthly - the next is on November 13. The Committee's December meeting is seen as more likely for a discussion about the Winchelsea Road site, however a decision could run into 2026.
A report on retail and town centre planning policy issues issued by Nexus Planning concluded that Aldi's presence would have "the potential to provide a significant adverse impact upon the health of the town centre" but stressed the issues were "finely balanced" and would be influenced by the weight RDC places on key factors. The latter will likely include the benefits of a second supermarket, the importance of competition, local residents' support for a second store, and reduction of car trips by people shopping for groceries outside the Rye area.
In other words, RDC may decide the impact of Aldi to be adverse but not significantly adverse, Nexus said.
While the primary retail impact would affect Jempson's, a key factor in the linked visits and town's retail health is access to a free or low-priced central car park. In this context, it's difficult to judge how many visitors to Jempson's car park are using it to access other shops or services in town.
Aldi believes it has answered Nexus' contention that the council needs "to be clear over the car parking arrangements at the proposed store, given that they will influence the propensity for linked trips".
Jempson’s car park currently offers about 90 spaces, while Aldi is proposing 107 spaces at its planned 1,863 sq m supermarket.
While public backing for a second supermarket in Rye remains strong, RDC's planning decision appears too close to call.
The new £5 million supermarket proposed for Winchelsea Road is part of a wider development on the site which also includes homes and retirement housing.
