A TOWN centre supermarket could be split into three storage and distribution units under plans lodged with East Lothian Council.

Aldi, which has been based off Haddington’s Whittingehame Drive for nearly 15 years, is getting ready to move to the new retail park on the town’s western edge.

Costa Coffee has already opened at Haddington Retail Park, with Aldi, The Food Warehouse, Home Bargains and a petrol station to join them.

The new Aldi is due to open at the end of September, when the existing store will close its doors. The Food Warehouse opens on August 17 and Home Bargains on October 16.

Speculation has been mounting over the future of Aldi’s town centre building since the supermarket chain announced the switch.

Now, proposals have been submitted to the local authority’s planning department for the site to be shared.

The application – from Ediston Haddington Ltd – is for three storage and distribution buildings, with ancillary trade counters for trade and retail sales.

No names of which companies might move into the units have been disclosed yet.

Paul Darling, one of the planning liaison officers with Haddington and District Community Council, was confident the development would bring more jobs to the town if approved.

He said: “I cannot see there being any hassle. I know Aldi probably have a caveat that it cannot be a supermarket.

“I cannot see the community council objecting. It is basically staying as some form of retail.”

Aldi’s decision to move to the other end of the town had been met with unhappiness by some Haddington residents, particularly those who live nearby.

Last year, Jan Wilson, then long-standing chairwoman of the community council, said: “Another food store, I think would be helpful to people from the Nungate but whether it would be something like that I don’t know.

“In an ideal world, I would love to see multiple units going in there.”

Ward councillor Shamin Akhtar was pleased to see progress being made at the Aldi site.

She said: “There have been many questions from the local community as to what is going to happen to the Aldi building once it has relocated.

“I’m glad to see that proposals have come forward that the site will be occupied by three business units and it will not be lying empty.”

Fellow ward councillor Tom Trotter echoed those comments and said: “I was hoping there would be a use for the building. It would be a shame for it to close and nothing happen to it.”

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our Whittingehame Drive store no longer meets our requirements and the store will close in September.

“Construction for our new Haddington Retail Park store is progressing well and will create up to five additional jobs for the community, as well as offering more space for fresh, chilled and food-to-go ranges with simpler layouts and wider aisles.”