Luton Councillors have been urged to follow a planning officer’s recommendation and reject an application for an Aldi supermarket next to Luton Town’s training ground where the club want to build an elite, domed, indoor facility.
The application for the food store has been referred to Full Council tonight (July 30) after members of the Development Control Committee approved it by a single casting vote.
Gary Sweet, Chief Executive of Luton Town Football Club and their property arm, 2020 Developments, have written a strongly worded letter to the council reiterating their objection to the application on the former bowling green site, saying it is contrary to planning policy.
In March, Councillors voted to approve the football club’s Power Court stadium, which is a mixed-use site that contains a supermarket. In the Aldi application objection letter Sweet says 2020 will ‘struggle to get another operator at Power Court’ were another supermarket to be given planning permission less than a mile away.
It would also hinder Luton Town’s ability to develop and recruit young players, with Sweet writing: ‘Essentially, it is fundamental to our continued progress and would make retention of our Championship status, for the longer term, almost impossible.
The Hatters’ Brache training facility has already been announced, along with Luton Hoo, as a venue to host football teams for the 2020 European Championships.
The sporting dome that Luton have already submitted a pre-application for would also be used by the community and schools, as a further benefit to Lutonians, while the economic benefits, Sweet says, would ‘assist in transforming the town’s reputation.’
Ahead of the vote at Full Council, #saveourtown, who campaigned for the approval of Power Court and Newlands Park, have urged councillors to reject the Aldi proposal.
Posting Gary Sweet’s letter on social media, #saveourtown wrote: ‘Alarming news that, tonight, Luton Council will vote on whether to approve an Aldi on the site next to Luton Town Football Club’s training ground, despite a planning officer’s recommendation to REJECT the application.
‘In the strongest possible terms, we urge councillors to follow this recommendation and reject the application. Councillors have already approved a supermarket as part of the Power Court development, less than a mile away, while there is also an Aldi in Luton, 3 miles away.
‘In contrast, Luton Town FC have plans to create a world-class sporting facility on the site with a domed, indoor training pitch (pictured), which would not only be essential for making our football club sustainable long into the future, but it would also be a community asset that will raise the aspirations and health opportunities of future generations of Lutonians and help transform the reputation of our town. We need this for our children!’
