COLCHESTER already has a lot of supermarkets, there is no doubt about that.
Across the town we've got three Aldi stores, two Lidl stores, two giant Tesco shops, a Sainsbury's and an Asda.
Those are just the larger stores too.
But that doesn't mean the supermarket giants aren't still looking to increase their presence in the town.
There are lots of big new stores planned over the coming years.
Sadly, according to most residents, there are no confirmed plans for a Morrisons.
Here are the new supermarkets coming to Colchester in the not too distant future:
Sainsbury's, Lightship Way
Sainsbury’s was granted planning permission to open at B&Q, in Lightship Way, Hythe, in February 2016.
But plans, first mooted in 2014, have not moved forward despite the brand promising it is committed to opening a fourth store in the Colchester.
It had initially planned to open the 73,000sq ft store in 2017.
B&Q is still trading at the store but its lease comes to an end in May and the building will be handed over to Sainsbury’s.
A short term extension was handed to the DIY-giant whilst it waits for its new unit, at the Stane Retail Park, Stanway, to be complete.
Work is set to be finished on Stane Retail Park this year so it is likely the new work could start on the new Sainsbury's soon.
Speaking of Stane Park....
Aldi and M&S Foodstore, Stane Retail Park
Work is well underway on the £60 million Stane Retail Park.
Once complete it will be home to B&Q as well as both an Aldi and an M&S Foodstore.
Aldi will be relocating from its nearby London Road store to the new unit, which is much larger.
The M&S will be the first store of its kind in the borough.
The development is on course to be complete by October 2021.
Co-op, Chesterwell development
The 6,000 sq ft Co-op would serve the Chesterwell development in Mile End, Colchester, which is currently under phased construction by Mersea Homes.
Surrounded by new homes, the supermarket would be sited in Chesterwell Place, a neighbourhood centre featuring a mixture of shops, schools and offices.
Planning permission has now been secured for the supermarket.
The store will be run by the East of England Co-op.
As well as the supermarket, the site will include a community centre as well as primary and secondary schools, a sports hall and a shopping centre.
Secondary school Trinity Academy, which is set to take 180 pupils per year, is expected to open in 2021.
Another Aldi, unknown location
Budget supermarket brand Aldi has set its sights on opening another shop in Colchester.
The brand, which already has three shops across the town and another planned at Stanway, has outlined plans for 15 new locations across Essex.
No details on an exact location in Colchester have been revealed however Aldi says it is looking for freehold town-centre or edge-of-centre sites suitable for development.
It says each site should be around 1.5 acres and able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces.
Aldi wants to have 1,200 stores open across the UK by 2025.
Lidl, St Andrew's Avenue
German supermarket giant Lidl is set to create its third store in the town off St Andrew’s Avenue, creating 40 jobs.
As well as a large supermarket, two additional units will be created at the former DIY store site, which has been empty since 2018.
The additional units will be home to a large Costa Coffee, with an adjoining drive-thru, and a smaller Subway restaurant.
Planning permission for the new Lidl store was initially granted in 2019, despite objections being raised by rivals Asda and Tesco.
Fresh plans for the site, featuring a slightly larger supermarket and the two additional units, were unveiled in August.
Once complete, the new multi-million pound supermarket will create 40 jobs with dozens more employment opportunities set to be available at Costa and Subway.
Delays scuppered a proposed 2020 opening date with no new timeframe for completion given on the latest plans.
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