A discount supermarket in a derelict Derbyshire quarry is set for approval, with the sole opposition coming from a rival chain already set up in the town. Plans for an Aldi supermarket, creating 50 new jobs, in the former Harveydale Quarry in Dale Road, Matlock, have been recommended for approval by Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Council planners say the planned supermarket, which would cover a footprint of 1,864 square metres, would lead to the regeneration and remediation of the former quarry and protection measures for its cliff faces. They say the benefits of the scheme, including dozens of new jobs, outweigh the potential negative impacts of the scheme.

Councillors will make a final decision at a meeting on Tuesday, April 8. A council report on the issue details that 757 letters of support have been submitted to the authority via a consultation carried out by Aldi itself, with just one objection letter received – from rival supermarket chain Sainsbury’s.

Sainsbury’s claims there is a lack of a need for a further foodstore in Matlock and it would have a “significant adverse” impact on the town’s Sainsbury’s supermarket. It says pedestrian access to the planned Aldi is “inadequate” to protect public safety and that other sites should be considered.