Have we spotted where a new Aldi is going to be built in Deeside?

New computer generated images posted on a real estate agents marketing website appear to show where a new Aldi may be built in Deeside.

The architects renders, 3D images generated by computer modelling software have been posted in the past few days on the newly revamped airfields.co.uk website.

The website is owned by Isle of Man-based Praxis Real Estate Management who acquired part of RAF Sealand from Defence Estates for an undisclosed sum.

The 140 acre development forms the first phase of the huge Northern Gateway project and includes industrial and retail units as well as up to 750 homes.

It’s hoped the Northern Gateway development will create up to 5000 jobs.

The new hi-resolution images show how the development may look once fully complete.

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What’s striking is the use of brand logo’s and brand colours on a few buildings raising speculation that some brands may have already expressed a solid interest in occupying the plots which are up for grabs.

Architects renders don’t tend to reveal brand logo’s unless a company has confirmed its intentions to occupy.

The aerial image shows a large pub, restaurant and hotel complex to the left of the development which runs along the A494 on land opposite the existing Amantola Indian Restaurant.

To the right of the image a petrol station can clearly be seen, predominance of green would suggest BP maybe have expressed interested in this one.

A small square building can be seen on the carpark of the retail area and from the marketing literature this plot is reserved for a fast food restaurant however, given the relatively small size and the use of dark red/purple Costa style brand colouring on a distinctive canopy, does the image give us a clue to what may be going here?

The building looks very similar to the new ‘Drive Thru’ Costa Coffee shop on Deva Retail Park in Chester, also worth noting Costa’s fiercest rival Starbucks have a large stand alone coffee shop less than a mile away.

‘Drive thru’ Costa Coffee shop on Deva Retail Park John Davidson/GoogleMaps

If Costa have expressed an interest in building a ‘Drive Thru” coffee shop it’s highly likely parent company Whitbread have had looked at the pub, restaurant and hotel plot next door.

The complex on the image looks similar to many of the pub, restaurant, lodge combo’s seen along many major A roads and junctions in the UK, interestingly there are no brand signs visible in this part of the image.

Whitbread’s Premier Inn, Brewers Fayre, Beefeater hotel pub and restaurant brands would tick a huge box here, again it’s worth looking at competitors locally, Marston’s have cornered the food ‘mega’ pub market in Deeside with the successful Running Hare carvery, it tends to be a cue for others big pub chains to follow.

In terms of hotel accommodation, there’s a shortage of decently priced good quality bedrooms in the area and Deeside is on the Premier Inn ‘target town’ list for new developments.

The hotel company’s preferred option would be Broughton but planning issues with a previous hotel development, unrelated to Premier Inn may see them turn to the Airfield site.

Premier Inn and Brewers Fayre in Bristol

The image shows a five retail to the rear of the car park this could well be ‘artistic interpretation’ of how the plot may look once complete yet, on the largest of the five units an Aldi sign can clearly be seen and the design looks very much like all other Aldi new builds.

Speculation has been rife around Aldi building a new store in Connah’s Quay for sometime, the company signalled its intention to build one next to the former Somerfield supermarket site in 2012.

Since then progress appears to have stalled, no plans have been submitted to the council to date however, Deeside.com learnt negotiations took place earlier this year with a view to Aldi building a new 19,000 sqft store on the site of former council office in the town, a stumbling block ‘we hear’ centered around the car park which is a council owned pay and display.

A new Aldi supermarket on the Airfields development may not signal an end to interest in Connah’s Quay, the German company’s aggressive expansion program and growing popularity could well see Aldi build two new supermarkets Deeside.

The four other smaller single shop size units are ‘unbadged’

Aldi’s no frills approach to design is a winner with customers In Broughton

Behind the retail units a glass type building can be seen its use unknown, to the right of the retail park and over a the new main road which runs through the development and Deeside Industrial Park sits three car showroom style buildings, on one showroom an Audi logo can clearly be seen while the other two have no logo’s oddly, according to the website these buildings will be dedicated motor trade plots.

The second image shows the sheer size of the units, the largest of which is quoted at a massive 1 million square foot, through to 50,000 square foot.

The website says the 140 acre site is ready for immediate development.

A second image shows the sheer scale of the development, the stand out feature being a the 1 million sqft industrial unit which dominates.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”40410″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_outline” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https://www.deeside.com/snowball/image-two/”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1476702285621{margin-top: -30px !important;}”]Click for full size image – theairfields.co.uk[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Its worth reiterating these images are examples only and not finalised plans, brand logo’s on the images are not, as far as we know, an indication those companies mentioned have expressed an interest to move onto the Airfields/Northern Gateway site or not.

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