Redevelopment of a major site for a "mixed use" building project in Rye may include a new supermarket, but Aldi is keeping tight-lipped about whether it's involved.
The German-owned supermarket chain did not respond to enquiries seeking to confirm rumours of its interest in building a Rye store. However, it has been confirmed that redevelopment of a site west of Winchelsea Road — identified in the Rye Neighbourhood Plan (RNP) as housing allocation site 'H6' — will commence next year, subject to planning permission being given. The RNP earmarked the location for 20 dwellings, but the mixed-use proposal now indicates that housing and commercial premises are planned.
Lidl denied any interest in the location but revealed: "Our teams are continuing to search for suitable sites in Rye."
The site, majority-owned by Jonathan Jempson, chairman of haulage company John Jempson & Son, is currently occupied by tenants The Rye Emporium, JHB Engineering and Richard Cullinan Joinery. All tenants have been alerted that they will have to move by the end of this year, or possibly by early 2024.
Mr Jempson said it was likely the Jempson haulage business will be consolidated onto its nearby Slade Yard site. He added that he was pleased that the proposals for Winchelsea Road are for mixed use "as that brings employment opportunities for local people, something my sites have provided in Rye for many years".
Given the age and condition of the existing buildings at the location, Mr Jempson indicated: "They are coming to the end of their useful life and so redevelopment of the site is the only option."
Specifics of the redevelopment are yet to be revealed, but it's known that a south-east based developer is working on a project and that the planning process will include a public consultation and exhibition later this year, when full details will be unveiled.
A much larger example of a mixed-use development is Waterford Park in Sevington near Ashford, where a 140-acre site is being developed by GSE Property Group and Mulberry Homes. This is set to include an Aldi supermarket, business premises, 400 homes, offices, drive-through restaurants, a petrol station, car showrooms and a 600-space truck stop.
If Rye does receive an Aldi supermarket, it will ignite the biggest shake-up of the town's grocery retail business in decades. Jempson's Supermarkets (which has no connection to John Jempson & Son) has for decades operated the only sizeable grocery stores in Rye and Peasmarsh, a state of affairs which has long given rise to concerns about a lack of competition.
In a bid to offer more competitive prices on 8,000 products, Jempson's announced a link-up with Morrisons, rebranding themselves 'Jempson's together with Morrisons'. If Aldi does enter Rye, its low-prices will clearly present a significant challenge to the incumbent supermarket operator.
In early March, Aldi operated more than 990 stores in the UK but set itself a target of 1,200.
