A planning saga that has been ongoing for several years has finally come to an end, with independent forecourt operator Guy White now able to push forward with his expansion plans, and partnership with supermarket giant Aldi.
Five years ago White, who runs the Laurels Service Station in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, bought a second forecourt on the opposite side of the road, with the acquisition sitting on a 3.8-acre plot.
Around the same time, supermarket firms Aldi and Lidl submitted competing planning applications to build new outlets in Horncastle.
Aldi wanted to partner with White, using 2.85 acres of his recently acquired plot to build its store, leaving White to knock down the old forecourt and construct a new one on the remaining acre, with EV charging and a local food store forming part of his plans.
Lidl, meanwhile, was simultaneously applying to build a new store at the other end of Horncastle, with the town, which has a population of under 8,000 people, only able to support one new supermarket.
East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) decided to go with Aldi’s proposals, which favoured White, but the project was thrown into disarray when Lidl mounted a successful High Court challenge in 2024, with the judges agreeing that ELDC had failed to fully consider Lidl’s plans when giving Aldi the go-ahead.
That ruling resulted in Lidl and Aldi resubmitting their plans, with ELDC having to consider them simultaneously.
Yesterday (July 30) ELDC’s planning committee, having considered both bids, ruled in Aldi’s favour, meaning the German chain can build its store, with White able to construct a new filling station to sit alongside the supermarket.
White told Forecourt Trader the project will make him “one of the first independent fuel stations working alongside Aldi”, although this will bring its own challenges.
“I’m not going to put a normal forecourt shop in and try to compete against Aldi – I’ve got to think outside of the box, offering something different and promoting local brands and produce”, he says.
White’s planning bid is only an outline one but, now approved, can be fleshed out into a full application. He intends to open a Tastes of Lincolnshire shop selling local produce, alongside a tourist centre and EV charging, and thinks this last aspect helped give the Aldi project an edge, despite planners initially favouring Lidl.
“We were really up against it, because while the council decided to go with Aldi, its planning department favoured Lidl, mainly because Lidl wanted to build on a brownfield site, while Aldi and my project is partly on greenfield land.”
White is cautious in his optimism, however, highlighting that Lidl is still able to challenge the decision.
“My customer base is really happy but I’m not celebrating just yet, as we’ve got to wait six weeks to see if there’s an appeal”.
Assuming all goes ahead, White expects Aldi will open its store around Christmas 2027, with his forecourt having a soft opening in Easter 2028.
