SALISBURY could be set to have two new supermarkets on London Road as plans for an Aldi were largely supported at a public exhibition on Friday.

The discount food retailer held a public exhibition at Hampton Park Pavilion to gain feedback on plans for a new food store at the former Autecnique unit and showroom site in London Road.

Aldi aims to sell high quality products at discount prices, usually between 20 and 50 per cent cheaper compared to the larger UK supermarkets.

Last year it became the first retailer to be awarded the title of Which? Best Supermarket for two consecutive years.

The new store would have a net sales area of 1,140sqm and provide about 30 full and part time jobs.

Additional car parking spaces would be added to the park and ride site next to it and Aldi would also make a significant contribution to pedestrian and cycle links.

The plans would involve widening part of London Road to create a right turn filter lane. They would also fund a reduction in the speed limit of the road from 40mph to 30mph.

An Aldi spokesman said the company has been looking for a suitable site in Salisbury for about 20 years, but nothing deliverable had come up before now.

They hope to get a planning application submitted to Wiltshire Council next month and would be looking to open next year.

Ninety-eight people attended the exhibition and of those who completed a feedback form, 82 per cent said they supported a new Aldi store on the site.

The pre-exhibition feedback saw 130 of 167 people expressing outright support and 18 supporting but offering comments or recommendations. Fifteen people said they objected to the plans, with four saying they were unsure.

A spokesman said: “We are encouraged by the very positive feedback we have already received from local residents and are excited about introducing a new discount food store to Salisbury.

"We feel this is a great opportunity to offer residents a genuine choice when it comes to completing their shopping.”