ALDI is aiming to open its new supermarket in Lewes Road this autumn.

This comes after a long period of silence which left some people questioning whether the supermarket giant had cancelled its plans.

Aldi says the store would have a “modest” 1,100 square metres of sales space and would create up to 50 new jobs locally.

Joel Potiphar, 24, has lived in Eastbourne Road for the last two years and is delighted the supermarket is coming closer to home.

He said: “I wasn’t aware that this was coming so I’m just very excited to hear the news.

“I shop at Aldi in London Road all the time.

“I have to walk there and back carrying the bags so it’s much more convenient for me to have it at the bottom of my road.”

The new store would be in addition to Aldi’s existing supermarkets in London Road and Carlton Terrace.

It will be situated less than half a mile along the road from rival chain Sainsbury’s and will be half the size.

Leo Tramer, of nearby Shanklin road, is delighted the store has finally given a timeframe of when it will open.

He said: “I am incredibly excited about the opening of the new store as there aren’t many budget options around the Lewes Road area.

“There’s a lot of low income earners and students in the area because the housing’s on the cheaper end of Brighton.

“Having a cheap supermarket to match it is incredible.”

The plans for the Aldi at the Pavilion Retail Park in Lewes Road were given the green light in March last year.

At the time, Aldi said it wanted to open the store as soon as possible.

The supermarket’s move into the retail park is part of £6 million expansion plans first set out in 2016.

Aldi has more than 590 stores in the UK and employs more than 25,000 people.

The German chain of supermarkets has a combined turnover of more than £40 billion.

Not all nearby residents are happy the supermarket giant is moving into the area, however.

Jack Mulholland, who lives in Richmond Road, insists that despite Aldi’s proposed arrival, he will not be changing his shopping habits.

He said: “I feel the supermarket industry will become saturated in the Lewes Road area.

“I much prefer Sainsbury’s shopping experience over Aldi’s. I also prefer Sainsbury’s named brands so I definitely won’t be shopping there.”

An Aldi spokesman said: “Work is progressing well and we hope to open our new Lewis Road store this coming autumn.”