A BUDGET supermarket is set to leave its central Weymouth site and open at a new location one mile away in a move which would create up to 20 extra jobs.

Aldi is set to lodge plans to build a new store at the Weymouth Gateway site on Mercery Road and close its existing store at Jubilee Retail Park.

Under the proposals, the new store will have 1,650 sqm of floor space along with 100 parking spaces.

Weymouth Gateway is currently occupied by a Sainsbury’s, Premier Inn hotel, a Beefeater Grill Restaurant and the head office building for retailer New Look. The Morrisons store is also nearby.

Aldi’s planning agent, Planning Potential, says it has been engaging with Weymouth and Portland Borough Council about its development plans for the site.

In a statement, Aldi said: “Our current store at Jubilee Retail Park is nearly 50 per cent smaller than a typical Aldi; we are unable to provide the full award-winning range that customers have come to expect. Therefore, to improve the shopping experience for our Weymouth customers, we would like to replace the existing store with a bigger and better Aldi on Mercery Road in Weymouth.”

The firm added that the existing site is constrained and that it would not be possible to expand at this location, so the only option was to relocate.

The statement added: “We have now identified a suitable, brownfield site at Mercery Road, off Dorchester Road, owned by London Metric PLC. We would like to build a new and improved store here, which will provide easier access, an enhanced layout and increased parking.

“The proposed Aldi store will complement the ‘main-shop’ nature of the large Sainsbury’s and Morrisons superstores in close proximity to the application site.”

The existing store at Jubilee Retail Park opened in 1999 and employs 19 staff. The firm said these employees will be transferred to the Mercery Road site while an extra 15-20 staff will be taken on – taking the total number of employees at the new store to approximately 35 to 40.

The budget supermarket also has a store at Chickerell Link Park which opened in November 2017. Aldi’s Chickerell store created 25 new jobs and includes a net sales area of 1,254 sqm, along with a 135-space car park.

The Mercery Road plans form part of Aldi’s proposals to open 1,000 new stores by 2022, an increase from its current 762.

Ian Girling, chief executive of the Dorset Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the news and said: “Aldi clearly has ambitious plans in place in terms of expansion.

“It’s encouraging to see Dorset as a growth area Aldi that recognise and I am sure the new store will be welcomed.”

Melcombe Regis councillor Francis Drake, said: “I think that it would be good for the town, it will bring jobs and create economic growth.

“It will also create some good competition for Sainsbury’s and Morrisons which is a good idea when it relocates however I am sad to see it leave Jubilee Retail Park.”

A public consultation on the proposals will take place on Wednesday, May 23 at the Redlands Community Sports Hub between 3pm and 8pm.

In a statement, Aldi added: “We will consider the comments of local people before finalising and submitting a planning application to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council.

“If the application is approved, Aldi plans to open as soon as possible.”