RUMOURS that Aldi have pulled out of the Elms Field development have been circulating and The Wokingham Paper has investigated to find out if it is true or not.
We have heard from several sources that they had received unconfirmed reports that the supermarket chain had pulled out of the regeneration of the town centre.
The Elms Field development area is the centrepiece of the new town centre and, when completed, will include a new Premier Inn and an Everyman Cinema, as well as space for several restaurants and shops.
There will also be a new playground for children and the remainder of Elms Field will be remade so it can be used as an events field as well as a park.
But with no one announced yet for Peach Place or the Elms Field restaurants, it appears that the whispers of the discount supermarket pulling out were persuasive, even though Aldi and Wokingham Borough Council have both confirmed to The Wokingham Paper that the new store is going ahead.
A source from the council said that there was no truth in the rumour.
And an Aldi spokesperson told The Wokingham Paper: “We have planning permission for a new store on the Elms Field site, which we hope to open early in 2020.
“We will keep the community updated on developments.”
It is not the only chain that has been rumoured to be pulling out of Wokingham – there had been whispers that WH Smith and Argos were planning to leave the town centre, but again when the companies were contacted by The Wokingham Paper the companies said that the rumours were not true.