THE LONG wait for the re-birth of Solihull Magistrates is over as Aldi have announced a new store on the site.
The award-winning supermarket has announced plans to redevelop the Homer Road site into a store it claims will ‘improve choice for town centre shoppers and regenerate a prominent site in Solihull’.
Services at the courthouse were mothballed in 2014 it was never formally closed by the Ministry of Justice until 2016.
The closure, alongside four others in the Midlands region, was part of a Government move to save cash – Solihull Magistrates Court cost £250,000 to run.
The supermarket chain said residents and businesses are currently being consulted on their views about the proposals.
It claims the store could create around 40 new jobs, generate £1m in wages annually and deliver around £5m of inward investment into the local economy.
The Observer has been told a planning application looks set to be handed to Solihull Council in the coming weeks.
A spokesperson for Aldi said: “We’re delighted to announce our proposals to develop a new Aldi store on land off Homer Road in Solihull Town Centre.
“We know there is strong demand for a new store in the area, and this is an excellent site that is perfectly suited to allow convenient access for many people in the town.
“Our proposals for Solihull have been uniquely designed and will feature a sales floor on an upper-level with underground car parking. We hope that local residents like what they see and will let us know their views before a planning application is submitted to the council.”
For more visit www.aldiconsultation.co.uk/solihull or call 0800 298 7040.
