Welcome to Friends of Marsh Lane – a community group opposing the development of an Aldi store at Marsh Lane, Stanmore. We are a growing public campaign in strong opposition to the proposed superstore, with support from people across Harrow, Belmont, Stanmore, Canons Park, Edgware, and Queensbury.

The development is unsuitable for the area, prioritizing vehicle access over people, green space, and heritage. It would lead to more traffic, pollution, and risks to public safety near homes and schools. The contaminated site poses a threat to Stanmore Marsh and local biodiversity, with no robust clean-up plan. There are also serious concerns about crime, anti-social behaviour, and harm to local shops.

Aldi has submitted an appeal against Harrow Council's "refusal" decision, with the Planning Inspectorate. Some locals received letter dates 16th April 2026, outlining this. This letter also stated how people can lodge their comments to the appeal, and how to apply for Rule 6 Status. The later will allow residents groups, like Friends of Marsh Lane, to become a formal party to the appeal, beyond ordinary objector status. 

What are Aldi's grounds for Appeal

The grounds of appeal are a rebuttal to each refusal reason stated by Harrow Council, with Aldi stating that the proposal complies with the development plan when read as a whole, and that the council was wrong in refusing permission. Aldi believes that the proposed food store:

• Satisfies the sequential and policy tests for out-of-centre retail development.

• Meets an identified retail need and does not prejudice protected employment/utility functions.

• Would not give rise to unacceptable impacts on nearby centres.

• Adequately protects ecological interests.

• Provides acceptable transport and parking arrangements.

• Makes efficient and appropriate use of the site.

• Properly addresses flood risk and drainage matters.

Overall, Aldi argues that the reasons for refusal are not justified on planning grounds and that the benefits of the proposal outweigh any perceived harm.

Guidance for commenting on the Appeal

If you submitted objections to the planning application, you may also wish to make representations to the appeal before the Planning Inspectorate. Although previous objections form part of the planning history, an appeal is a separate stage and the Inspector will consider the evidence submitted in the appeal process. For that reason, it can be helpful for previous objectors to submit comments to the appeal.

Rather than simply resending earlier objections unchanged, the most effective approach is usually to submit a focused appeal representation that supports the Council’s refusal of permission, responds directly to the developer’s appeal grounds, updates or strengthens your original objections where relevant, and refers to planning policy and supporting evidence where possible. A targeted submission of this kind is generally more helpful to the Inspector than repeating objections already made at application stage.

You may wish to comment on matters such as conflict with planning policy, traffic and road safety concerns, flood risk or drainage issues, ecology and impacts on Stanmore Marsh, public health and residential amenity impacts, or gaps or weaknesses in the developer’s appeal evidence. FOML's submitted objections can be found here for reference. Local knowledge and lived experience can be important evidence, particularly where they help explain why the Council’s refusal reasons remain justified.

The strongest representations are usually concise, clear and focused on material planning issues. They explain why you support dismissal of the appeal and, where possible, refer to evidence or policy rather than simply expressing general opposition. In most cases, the quality and relevance of representations matter more than their length.

Individual representations can also help demonstrate continued and informed community concern and can reinforce issues raised by the Council and local residents’ groups. If you have specialist expertise or factual evidence relevant to the appeal, that may be particularly helpful to include.

Comments can be submitted directly to the Planning Inspectorate through the appeal case page (Ref: 6005822) by the 15th May 2026, so it is important to ensure any representations are submitted in time.

In short, if you objected previously, consider submitting a focused appeal representation supporting refusal and responding to the developer’s appeal case. It can help ensure local concerns continue to be heard.

Appeal Documents

• Appeal Submission Form, by Aldi

• Statement of case, by Aldi

Rule 6 Status

Friends of Marsh Lane has applied for Rule 6 status in the appeal before the Planning Inspectorate to help ensure the local community has a strong and formal voice in the process.

• Rule 6 status allows residents’ group to participate in the appeal as a formal party, alongside the developer and the Council, rather than simply as an ordinary objector. If granted, it would enable Friends of Marsh Lane to present its own case directly to the Inspector, submit evidence, challenge the developer’s evidence through questioning at the inquiry, and make formal submissions on why the appeal should be dismissed.

• This matters because the appeal raises significant issues for local residents, including planning policy conflict, traffic and road safety, flood risk, ecology, public health and the protection of Stanmore Marsh. Rule 6 status helps ensure these concerns can be presented fully and independently, supported by local knowledge and evidence, and not solely through the Council’s case.

• While Rule 6 does not determine the outcome of the appeal, it gives the community a much stronger opportunity for its concerns to be properly heard and tested. It allows residents’ evidence to play a more meaningful role in the inquiry and can help ensure all relevant issues receive full scrutiny.

• Importantly, Rule 6 is also about community involvement. If granted, local residents may be able to support the case in a number of ways, including providing witness evidence on matters such as traffic, flooding, ecology, local character or lived impacts of the proposal. Residents with specialist expertise may also be able to assist with technical evidence. Others may support through factual statements, local knowledge, attending the inquiry, or helping present the community’s case.

This is therefore not simply a procedural step. It is a way of helping ensure the community has a direct voice in the appeal and the best possible opportunity for local concerns to be fully represented before a decis