Sign our campaign for a grant funding review Despite being recommended for approval by officers the council’s planning committee voted to reject plans for a 20,000 sq ft store close to Bolton Wanderers’ stadium Aldi’s hopes of building a store at Paragon Business Park in Horwich were dealt a blow last week when Bolton Council rejected its plans due to concerns about increased traffic in the area Members voted unanimously to refuse the plans against officer recommendations Rival retailers Lidl and Tesco had raised objections to the project Among them was a claim that Aldi had failed to carry out a full sequential test – the process of analysing other sites near by to see if there are sequentially preferable locations for the proposed development Aldi identified and discounted six potentially preferable sites including one within the 1,700-home Rivington Chase masterplan search for reference number 13158/22 on Bolton Council’s planning portal Read our comments policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Thank goodness for common sense by the council Horwich needs less traffic not more… Planning Committee going against the judgement of planning professionals will be overturned and the costs will be given to the authority It really doesn’t help when planning committees are packed full of NIMBYS @ Stuart Wood “No problem such as congestion can’t be overcome with some planning and ambition” – oh and money Aldi (NOT Lidl) will appeal as the refusal was by the Councillors and NOT the Officers Another example of well meaning amateur Councillors not listening to their own professionals and over riding them Good for the council traffic is busy round there There’s no need for another supermarket here M&S and Home Bargains in close proximity The traffic at the Beehive roundabout is already bad enough without adding unnecessary vehicles There is a big choice of products at affordable prices There is no need to have a food supermarket inside the Middlebrook area Paragon Business Park is a perfect spot for Aldi would ease the traffic on Chorley New Road leading to Horwich which is always packed due to loads of new builds in that area and Aldi in Horwich I hope Aldi will appeal and get a permission asap I know the Aldi centre aisles are a bargain hunters dream but does that really lead to additional traffic in the area save for the workers and deliveries is it not a case of existing local consumers in the area just choosing to drive somewhere else? Correct decision as the traffic near the Bee Hive roundabout is bad enough already and there are enough supermarkets on the Middlebrook Retail Park We collectively grumble about the UK’s stagnant economy and yet we are always finding reasons to prevent the private sector investing to increase competition and choice Absolute nonsense,of course tesco would raise concerns and as for traffic ,every football match you cannot park on tesco or middlebrook because they don’t want to pay for parking that problem needs to be sorted out I really hope aldi gets approved if they appeal The borough claims it has a “disproportionately high number of HMOs” and is to pursuing the introduction of measures to wrestle back control The housing association is working with main contractor Caddick to build 69 social rent homes for over 55s and a GP surgery on 2.5 acres of disused land on Arrow Street in Broughton Register for free North West property intelligence Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value" Aldi wants to build near the Beehive roundabout the discount grocer has reworked proposals for a store close to Bolton Wanderers’ Toughsheet Community Stadium in Horwich Aldi wants to build within a corner of the Paragon business park at the roundabout where Chorley New Road meets De Havilland Way but the supermarket group’s initial proposal met with rejection on three grounds at its first attempt last year Each of these cited non-compliance with Greater Manchester’s Places for Everyone planning framework: namely adding to traffic congestion, causing a significant loss of biodiversity, and leading to increased flood risk. Members voted unanimously, in the face of officer recommendation Working with regular partners in planner Avison Young and architect The Harris Partnership Work required at the site includes the part-demolition of an under-used office block annexe and the resurfacing and realignment of 101 parking spaces for the business park The foodstore itself requires 131 parking spaces the store building is proposed at around 19,400 sq ft with a sales area of 14,000 sq ft The site is described as a five-minute drive from Junction 6 of the M61 Avison Young said: “The site’s potential for redevelopment is self-evident It is situated in a prominent location immediately west of the Beehive Roundabout having been unsuccessfully marketed for development by the business park owners for a period of some 10 years despite its allocation for ‘employment’ uses in the adopted Local Plan the site currently contributes nothing to the local economy and is therefore ripe for redevelopment The significant investment proposed by Aldi will provide the opportunity to bring the site into beneficial use through the provision of a modern accessible discount foodstore which is proportionate to the future needs of eastern Horwich.” There will be no impact on Aldi’s other Horwich store AY said that the resubmission comes with expanded and updated technical evidence while also demonstrating the acceptability of the scheme in relation to all other planning matters The Harris Partnership’s design & access statement said that the scheme will have formal landscaping stating that “a considered landscaping scheme composed of ornamental trees and native species” will be added to soften the appearance of the car park Transport elements of the project include a new access to the proposed store from the Beehive roundabout adjacent to the Chorley New Road northbound exit; a signalised left-only egress onto De Havilland Way from the store and access to Paragon Business Park via a modified entrance which features a left-only access and egress via Chorley New Road The professional team also includes Cameron Rose Associates on transport Hydrock now Stantec on flood risk and drainage Bowland Tree Consultancy and Earth Environmental Aldi’s resubmission can be seen on Bolton Council’s planning portal specialist legal advisors in the insurance and commercial sectors has received “a significant strategic investment” by CBPE which stands for Close Brothers Private Equity acquire a minority stake in HF (previously known as Horwich Farrelly) providing capital to accelerate HF’s ambitious growth strategy and invest in further technology-driven legal services CBPE also see potential for HF to make “targeted acquisitions” one of a small number of law firms that has done so HF has an all-employee share scheme giving every employee part ownership of the business the HF team will roll over the majority of their investment but CPBE bought a stake in the business from staff shareholders A spokesman for the firm declined to put a price on the investment cheque The business made pre-tax profits of £4.1m on turnover of £51.5m in the financial year to December 2023 Its client portfolio includes 19 of the Top 20 insurance companies HF has grown its service offering organically as well as through lateral key hires and acquisitions and has invested in technology The Manchester-headquartered HF also has offices in Leeds In May TheBusinessDesk.com reported that HF secured a £12m funding package from NatWest to “underpin HF’s mission to grow turnover building on its solid foundations and reputation in the legal and insurance sectors.” CEO and Managing Partner at HF said: “Our continued growth over the past few years has naturally attracted interest from outside investors it was always crucial for us to work with an organisation whose values and culture align with ours We’re excited to be stepping into the future with them their proven track record in the professional services and financial services markets and dynamic approach will fast forward our ability to grow and invest in our innovative technology our service offering and our people.” Richard Thompson and Naveen Passi (Partners of CBPE) commented: “HF is an outstanding business led by a very strong management team The business transitioned from a partnership to corporate in 2021 the business has built a client centric growth focused culture HF is differentiated through its ability to combine highly technical ‘lawyer led’ services and trusted advice with a technology led approach to higher volume work We are backing the business to continue its strong organic growth further investment in technology and targeted mergers and acquisitions to expand its service offering We are very excited about partnering with management over the next phase of HF’s growth.” HF were advised by Jonathan Boyers and Patrick Simpson of Alvarez and Marsal and by Addleshaw Goddard the legal advisors Boyers told TheBusinessDesk.com: “We loved working with the HF Team on sale of a stake in the business to CBPE We wish the team there well and we are confident that we will see that business go from strength to strength It’s the fourth Professional Services deal that A&M Corporate Finance have advised in this year and Legal Services in particular is a sector where we expect more activity in 2025.” The Addleshaw Goddard team advising on the deal included Katie Parker and Beth Nixon from the Private Equity Group together with Jon Cheney and Benedict Sanderson from the Professional Practices Group The team has advised on a series of significant transactions within the sector including the secondary buyout of Cooper Parry announced last week Katie Parker said: “Following a longstanding relationship advising HF we are thrilled to have advised on this transformative transaction which will drive the next stage in what has been impressive growth to date Working together across all of our market leading practices we are uniquely positioned to advise on the intricacies of deals in this sector and we are proud to be trusted by fellow professionals to navigate the unique dynamics involved in these types of transactions.” For best viewing experience of this website Please enter a place name in the search bar After provisionally the warmest May Day on record in the UK higher than average temperatures will subside over the weekend Environment Agency Updated: 06:27 (UTC+1) on Tue 6 May 2025 Fine and settled under the influence of high pressure Chilly but bright to start with plenty of sunny spells through the morning Turning cloudier from the east during the afternoon Rather cloudy into the evening but dry for most but not feeling as chilly as recent nights with most places remaining frost free Another widely dry and settled day with a few sunny spells breaking through largely cloudy skies and feeling warm with temperatures slightly above the early-May average The remainder of the week will see high pressure dominating It will stay dry with plenty of sunny spells Breezy at times but temperatures will be on the rise Dry across the vast majority of the UK with clear or sunny spells but also some patchy cloud Cloud will likely thicken across the far north and northwest during the weekend with some outbreaks of rain for a time There is also a small risk of some heavy showers in the far south or southwest high pressure will be dominant across the UK This will bring predominantly fine and dry weather for the majority of places Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal for the time of year although there is a chance of some cold nights Fairly typical weather for the time of year is most likely through this period fine and dry weather is more likely to dominate although this will be interspersed with occasional spells of rain and showers with a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms in places temperatures will most likely be near to or slightly above average