Plans that could see an Aldi supermarket come to St Ives will be considered by the district council next week.

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

If given the go-ahead by Huntingdonshire District Council’s development management committee on Monday, work on the supermarket and 126 car parking spaces will begin in earnest.

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

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.

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 is to 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.

This will be the third major retailer to submit plans for stores in St Ives, with McDonalds and Morrisons having opened this year.

The application will be presented to the development management committee on Monday where councillors will have the final say on the plans.