BRIDGWATER'S Aldi supermarket looks set to relocate to the new Northgate site it emerged this week.

Representatives from the supermarket giant presented plans to Bridgwater town councillors and confirmed their intention to relocate their Eastover store.

Elliott Saunders, from Aldi properties and David Williams from Planning Potentials, said planning permission was now being sought which would enhance Aldis shopping opportunities in Bridgwater and fit in nicely with Town and District proposals for the Northgate site.

Northgate had previously been touted for a Tesco Extra on the Brewery Field site, however this eventually fell through in favour of a plan for the new primary school, a leisure complex based around a multiplex cinema and associated outlets on the former Splash site.

There are already plans to increase the green area of the Brewery Field in the pipeline along with the celebration mile access from the town centre to docks, and the last piece of the site was earmarked either a hotel or small supermarket - which is where Aldi are looking to purchase.

Mr Saunders explained why he felt Aldi was an appropriate business for Northgate.

“Aldi is not a one stop supermarket like many others, and in fact our limited ranges encourage people to use us in conjunction with other existing shops," he said.

"Aldi has been in Bridgwater since 1997 but we can’t extend our current site and so this move is a good alternative, being 40 per cent larger than the current store.

"There will be 100 car parking spaces and bicycle parking. We will retain the existing tree shield and we will have just the one access, from the south. Our aim is to submit plans in June, start working by the end of the year and to be open by the end of 2019.”

Cllr Brian Smedley said: "If Aldi can address the five-junctions traffic issue then the rest of it seems to work.

"It is not the supermarket colossus that Tesco's planned to be and it fits nicely into a corner of a mixed use site which will complement the existing town centre.

"It will however be crucial that their vacating of their Eastover site gets a response that will make best use of that valuable piece of land within the Eastover triangle and between two new hotels so that the area is regenerated when the Celebration Mile heads through there.”

Cllr Tony Heywood was concerned about the traffic pointing out the difficulty of the junction the proximity of the school and the dangers of HGVs being misdirected across the Bascule bridge towards the docks.

Mr Saunders assured him, stating: "We are in communication with Somerset Highways about the junction situation which needed serious thought, although the numbers of HGV using the junction would be minimal.”

Cllr Liz Leavy asked about zero hours contracts and was told by Aldi: “We have no zero hours contracts. Our workers are on 20-40 hours a week and paid above the Living Wage.”