Plans that could see an Aldi supermarket come to St Ives have been deferred by Huntingdonshire District Council.

The retailer applied for planning permission to build a 1,7844sq m store in Needingworth Road in August last year, and the proposal was recommended for approval.

But, at a development management committee hearing on Monday, councillors decided to defer the application and asked the retailer to provide additional traffic data.

The retailer’s proposal states that, if approved, the store will employ the equivalent of 50 full time members of staff and 126 parking spaces.

St Ives Town Council supported the plans for the supermarket at a planning committee meeting held on September 26.

However, Hollywell-cum-Needingworth Parish Council has objected to the plans for the store due to the volume of traffic and road safety.

Huntingdonshire District Council deferred the application stating that they would need more data regarding the traffic movements around the double roundabout system in and out of the proposed site.

The applicant will now have to collect data in conjunction with Cambridgeshire County Council and, until then, the application will be on hold to be considered again in the months ahead.

A statement submitted by planning agent Planning Potential LTD on behalf of Aldi said that new links will be designed to allow for safe access.

It said: “The proposed layout includes vehicular, pedestrian and cycle access from Stocks Bridge Way. A pedestrian link would also be provided along the southern boundary from the A1123 into the site. Cambridgeshire County Council as local highways authority has reviewed the proposed access and parking arrangements and has raised no objections to the proposals but has requested that conditions be appended.”

An application for a toucan crossing on the A1123 has also been submitted for approval, as long as a number of various conditions are met. These include, tree protection, external lighting and reduced noise limit for night time deliveries.

The store could be built on brownfield land, which previously formed part of the site of the English Chicory Ltd factory.

Further retail units are already in place to the south-west of the application site, hosting McDonalds with Subway, Costa, and a further unit currently under construction.

If approved, Aldi would be the third major retailer to submit plans for stores in St Ives, with McDonalds and Morrisons having opened this year.