Plans for a new Aldi in Horndean have left some locals worried about how the supermarket will affect traffic, flooding and an aquifer – concerns shared by experts.

Campaigners in the village near Waterlooville said their concerns over the budget supermarket’s plans over increased traffic congestion, flooding and drinking water pollution are the same as Hampshire Highways, the fire service and the Environment Agency.

Residents of Havant Road and the wider village formed a WhatsApp group to aid their campaign against the building of Aldi £7million supermarket in their village of Horndean on land owned by Keydell Nurseries. They contacted the Local Democracy Reporting Service to have their say.

A Havant Road resident of more than 12 years, Rachel Temple lives opposite the entrance to the proposed shop and said she was “shocked at the proposal”. 

Mrs Temple and neighbour Marcella Payne said the main reasons they are against the site being developed are the increased traffic and congestion along Havant Road, the water pollution and flooding.

Both women said when they attended a meeting showing plans for the site early on they did not feel listened to by Horndean Kings and Blendworth ward Councillor David Evans (Con). They said they felt that the scheme had already been decided.

Public consultation on the planning application is currently open via the East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) website, with the budget supermarket chain’s plans being praised and criticised.

The EHDC consultation has had over 200 responses so far, from the public with over 50 emails of objection.

The support for the supermarket is mainly around cheaper food and creating 40 jobs. One public consultation comment, which had the name redacted, said: “A local Aldi food store will reduce travel times, affordable food for local people – greater affordable produce during a cost of living crisis.”

Objections to the plans are multifaceted. 

Miss Temple said Havant Road is not wide enough to allow the 40-tonne articulated lorries making deliveries four times a day, from 6.30 am to 10.30pm each day to turn in and out opposite her house. The busy road has ditches and a narrow pavement that even residents cannot walk down. 

Aquifer and flooding

Another local, Ron Hammerton, said beneath this part of Horndean there is principal aquifer the protection of which is essential as it supplies Portsmouth Water with a valuable source of drinking water. He said Aldi is proposing a single soakway which would be ineffective in removing pollutants and pathogens.

The Environment Agency objected to the application because there was not enough information to demonstrate that the risks of pollution posed to groundwater quality and the associated Havant and Bedhampton Springs can be safely managed. It said the springs are strategically important, supplying drinking water to 250,000 people.

It said there are concerns over contamination and risks associated with the lorry unloading bay. It suggested this area will need to be covered and drained into a foul sewer. 

It also said surface water drainage may contain elevated levels of contamination, such as from spills or general runoff.

Miss Payne said flooding along the road will be made worse by concreting over contaminated agricultural land to build a supermarket. She also feared an increase in polluted run-off water from cars, roofs and litter into ditches and aquifer.

She added that the issues during construction are also two-fold, pollutants and chemicals from the agricultural land itself finding its way into the aquifer and increased traffic congestion along Havant Road.

Four houses on the end of Havant Road have been flooded five times in-the last 11 years, said Ms Payne. They both said that a Lidl and 800 homes are being built up the road on land east of Horndean – with a large Morrisons already nearby – so the village did not need another supermarket.

Avison Young’s planning statement and statement of community Involvement report said while the area is in the lowest flood risk zone – there is medium risk of flooding to house frontages from surface water. 

The report also said there is a surface water drainage strategy for the site going into a soakaway. If the system fails, the levels on site will be designed to prevent surface water from leaving the site, or presenting a hazard to the proposed building, staff or customers, said the report. A soakaway that former Portsmouth Water employee and resident, Mr Hammerton feels is inadequate.

A report from Richard Hogarth of Craddy’s on behalf of Aldi, does not mention the principal aquifer and says there will be adequate drainage capacity on site. He said, no additional surface water is proposed to be discharged off-site into watercourses or sewers, the proposed development would not have an impact on flooding off-site. 

The Environment Agency disagreed and said there is a risk of polluted run-off getting into the waterways that has not been addressed.

Traffic

Hampshire Highways said in the pre-application stage the entrance to the site was not confirmed and the need for a suitable crossing across the B2149 has not materialised. It also raised issues over lack of footpaths and cyclepath provision, the hourly bus service and with the nearest railway station being Rowlands Castle 4.3km away.

Miss Payne and Mrs Temple said a crossing had been suggested for safety to cross the busy road. They said we have to sit in the same traffic queuing like everyone else to get in and out of their homes. They said it is especially bad at Christmas when the popular activities at Keydell Nurseries means queuing and parking along the road causes grid lock in Horndean and can come to a standstill. 

There is daily backed up traffic along Havant Road during rush hour from Dell Piece/A3. Even more traffic is added when people mistakenly think they can use the road as a rat run to short cut and get stuck, said Mrs Temple.

Miss Payne said the Havant Road route off the A3 is also used as a diversion route when the A3 is closed by accidents, concerns shared by Highways consultees, the emergency services and the environment agency.

Emergency services

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service comments said if there is a fire incident then the “fire water run-off” which may also contain chemicals will go straight into the aquifer. And it is the responsibility of the supermarket to ensure there is no water damage to the environment.

Psychotherapist Mrs Temple also said that the local plan indicates development should be in Horndean’s village centre with a new Aldi damaging the shops in Horndean that are just about surviving there. 

She said the village centre reflects the sense of community being a place where people socialise, check-in on each other as they buy their bread and milk or visit the doctors –  as opposed to people pulling in and out of Aldi in a car.

The council planning officers will decide on this application reference EHDC-25-0020-FUL by May 1, 2025.