Supermarket chain Aldi is to open a new store in Westbury, six years after buying land in Warminster Road and after the garage which occupied it has moved on.

The firm received planning permission for a branch on the old Oval Peugeot base in 2008, in a move expected to create an unknown number of jobs.

The news has been welcomed by town councillors, who hope it will encourage customers to use other shops in the town and along Warmin-ster Road in particular.

Councillor David Jenkins, who is also chairman of the Westbury Chamber of Commerce, said he believed the store would bring only benefits.

“I think having Aldi here will attract people to the town centre from around Westbury and other towns,” he said.

“I can’t see it affecting Morrisons or the Co-op particularly and, hopefully, its customers will stop to look around the town and visit other businesses.

“We are always trying to encourage businesses to move here and this is a multi-million-pound supermarket chain and they are already advertising locally for staff.” Aldi’s planning permission, renewed earlier this year, is for a 1,785 square metre store with an 83-space car park, opening from 9am-7pm Mondays to Fridays, 8.30am-7pm on Saturdays and 10am-4pm on Sundays.

The scheme includes the demolition of the derelict adjacent pub, the Old Oak Inn, and widening the road to create a feeder lane into the car park.

Cllr Jenkins said: “Warminster Road can get busy, to say the least, but I think everything that can be done is being done to reduce the impact. I think we should embrace this.”

Mayor Sue Ezra said: “This is good news for the town. I know many people travel out of Westbury to go to Aldi in Trowbridge. They will be able to shop here now.

“Also, hopefully, people will take the time to visit the other businesses in Warminster Road and give them a boost.”

Aldi declined to comment at this stage.

* The Oval Motor Com-pany, taken over by Heritage Auto in 2006, had been leasing the site from the German supermarket chain, but has now moved to a new showroom on the West Wilts Trading Estate.Oval was based in Warminster Road for nearly 30 years.