The Aldi at the Bitswijk in Uden-North may remain. The store had to close in February by the Council of State, because the municipality of Maashorst, which Uden falls under, had wrongly given a permit for the store. The municipality is now granting a new permit that solves this problem. And 1100 signatures collected by Angelique Rutten contributed a bit to that.
There has been a lot of fuss about the Aldi in Uden-North for a long time. In 2017, the then municipality of Uden issued a permit for this supermarket. But the Council of State ruled that this was contrary to the zoning plan. Aldi had to close there. However, the closure was repeatedly postponed, because the municipality was looking for a solution. It has now been found.
Everything is now correct with zoning plan
A new environmental permit ensures that a supermarket can now be located in the Aldi building on the Bitswijk. Everything is in line with the zoning plan. That permit has now been issued by the municipality of Maashorst, which Uden has merged into.
“We think Aldi is an important neighborhood facility,” explains alderman Franko van Lankvelt. The district therefore has two supermarkets. And Angelique’s signatures really played a role in the deliberation, he hints. “I expect many local residents to be happy with this, given the large number of signatures we received to keep the discounter for the district.”
Headache file
It remains to be seen whether the years-long headache file has ended. “I hope so,” said the alderman. You can still object to the new permit. In the worst-case scenario, a judge could still annul the permit.
Who knows, maybe that lawsuit will come too. Two entrepreneurs wanted to start a large food market just down the street. That plan was shattered by the arrival of Aldi, because the municipality did not want too many supermarkets in the district. That is why the food market entrepreneurs went to court to challenge the Aldi’s licence.
To the local broadcaster Dtv let them know that they probably won’t let it go. Another lawsuit is scheduled for next Thursday.
Angelique Rutten could not yet be reached for comment.
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