CONCERNS have been raised about the overbearing presence of a proposed extension to a supermarket warehouse.

Aldi is hoping to persuade Darlington Borough Council to allow it to expand its distribution centre at a planning meeting on Wednesday.

The company says expansion of its Darlington site, based in the town’s Faverdale area, would give it greater chance of achieving its 1,000-store goal by 2020 and meet rising shopper demand.

According to its Darlington plans, it wants to build an 8,000sq metre chiller and freezer extension, create additional wagon docking bays and increase office space.

However, campaigner Peter Kemp believes the extension will have a hugely detrimental impact of local residents.

He said: “Considering the overbearing size of the proposed freezer/chiller unit and its proximity to houses in High Grange and Tower Grange, Aldi have not carried out a survey of the impact of the unit on daylight and sunlight on nearby houses.

“You don’t have to be a genius to know that a unit with an equivalent height of four double decker busses is going to impact on the lives of people living nearby.

“The noise survey commissioned by Aldi to measure current sound levels and and estimate future sound levels once the building work has been completed has been independently reviewed by reputable company specialising in acoustics. it has found that that there were significant failings in the methodology used which the council cannot rely on in terms of assessing the impact of this development on the lives of residents.

“For example, the background noise surveys have not been carried out at the right time of day or night or for the correct duration and have led to to an incorrect baseline for a proper assessment of the impact of noise on residents.

“In their presentation to the planning applications committee on November 16, residents presented possible compromise solution to reduce the length and height of the freezer/chiller unit to that of the existing premises; to avoid the destruction of a huge number of trees by pushing back the southern wall of the unit which would allow the service road to be built without the level of damage which the current proposal would inflict.

"Aldi has rejected this and has told the council that unless their proposal is accepted they will move elsewhere. A gun to the council’s head.”

An Aldi spokesman defended the company’s consultation approach.

He said: “We worked hard to address many of the concerns raised by residents before the application was submitted and have since undertaken site visits and set up a helpline especially for neighbouring residents.”