TWO budget supermarkets have been approved for Weymouth and Portland – creating between 55 and 65 jobs.

Lidl will be coming to a site near Osprey Quay and Aldi to a plot next to the Medisave building, close to both Morrisons and Sainsbury's.

Independent retail experts believe the new stores will have little effect on existing businesses in the area – although Morrisons wrote to the borough council to dispute the finding and said it believed the new supermarket would have an impact on its trade.

The Aldi decision will mean the company closing its store at the Jubilee retail park, near Weymouth railway station, transferring jobs to the new site. It says that if the new store proves to be as successful as the one it opened at Chickerell it will need to take on extra staff.

Borough councillors at yesterday's planning committee welcomed both applications as a boost for the area's economy and offering more choice for local shoppers.

“We clearly welcome 40 jobs which will be a huge benefit to our community; it's a good store which will do very well in the area,” said Portland councillor Paul Kimber, welcoming the Lidl store for a site on the approach road to the sailing academy.

Around 4,000 people had signed up online to welcome the store with 250 writing to the council in its favour.

Cllr Richard Nickinson said the store would not only be good for Portland, but for Wyke Regis as well, and would reduce the number of people from both areas who drive into Weymouth for budget supermarket shopping.

Aldi did less well in the public popularity stakes but still got a warm welcome from councillors for its application – although several members of the public wrote in to complain that the Park District residents would miss having a budget supermarket so close to them.

The application will include a new bus shelter opposite the store entrance in Mercery Road.

There was also so concern about the effect extra traffic might have on both road junctions although Dorset Highways had not objected.

The company said its existing store no longer met its standards and was not what most customers expected. It had taken the decision to find a larger site in the area and believed the Mercery Road site would be better for the area.

Once the new store is built it would bring the company's investment in the area to £12 million, creating at least 80 jobs with the Weymouth and Chickerell store combined. It is expected to open in early 2020.

Said Cllr Kevin Brookes: “ I'm equally enthusiastic about both of these schemes...competition is good.”