PLANS for a new supermarket in West Kirby – expected to be approved by councillors next week – will only proceed if the town’s petrol station can be relocated.

Councillors will be presented with a report recommending the supermarket be given planning permission on Thursday.

But the new supermarket will only go forward if the petrol station on the site is also given planning permission when that is presented to councillors, probably next month.

David Wilcox, who owns the Taurus Service Station, on Bridge Road, has applied for permission to build a new petrol station on Orrysdale Road, a short distance away.

He said: “The deal with Aldi is conditional upon me getting planning permission and being able to relocate, we are not obliged to vacate the premises until those conditions are met.

“Hopefully the planners will see their way to approve the relocation to the benefit of all concerned.”

Mr Wilcox said the new site for the petrol station would be more modern and safer for drivers and pedestrians, away from the often congested junction of Meols Drive and Bridge Road.

There has been some local opposition to the new Aldi supermarket, and letters of objection came from Hoylake and District Civic Society and Meols Drive Residents Association, among others. Two petitions totalling 150 signatures opposing the scheme were also received by planners.

The objections received by the council ranged from there being no need for a second supermarket in the town, traffic issues, and loss of local heritage to concerns that the “Aldi brand is not needed by West Kirby's population”.

The company said it had been in discussion with council planning and highways officers on the scheme, and the project follows lengthy negotiations with the four separate owners of the land they plan to use.

Property director for Aldi, Mark Hewlett, said it had been more than 2½ years’ work to get this far, but said this showed the “commitment and belief” his company has in the project.

And he said the “credit crunch” and current economic downturn would make his store even more attractive to the people in the west Wirral seaside town.

The site on Bridge Road currently has an old cinema – at one point used as a furniture showroom, but now empty – along with the petrol station and garage, offices and parking.

The proposals put forward by Aldi would retain part of the existing “mock Tudor” frontage while building their 15,000 sq ft store on the site behind, with 74 parking spaces.

The recommendation for approval includes a Section 106 agreement requiring Aldi to carry out improvements to the nearby road junctions and crossings.

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