Plans for a new Aldi have split opinion among residents, with some keen to see an affordable shop near their homes while others fear it will cause traffic "madness".

Official plans for the budget supermarket off Canterbury Road in Kennington, Ashford, were submitted last month, almost three years since the discount chain snapped up a prime piece of scrubland.

If approved, the store will take the plot previously earmarked for a Miller & Carter steakhouse between the Holiday Inn hotel and M20.

Commenting on the plans, Sharon Worth says she supports the development as she feels the land is "unsightly" as it is.

She added: "I enjoy using this chain of supermarkets and find the existing one in Ashford inconvenient and too crowded most of the time.

"Furthermore the job opportunities it would provide would be beneficial to the area.

"The site is unsightly and development would improve this."

Kevin Drake also supports the application, saying an Aldi store will help families struggling with the rising cost of living.

He added: "Having the new store close to us will mean we don’t have to travel across to the other side of Ashford on a weekly basis polluting the air anymore and constantly battling through the local traffic.

"We will even be able to walk and cycle to the new store.

"Many families around us are feeling the pinch even more with the ever increasing energy and fuel costs. So having a more cost effective local store to us that sells amazing quality food is a plus.

"As a family we make a huge weekly saving at Aldi as opposed to shopping at Sainsbury’s and M&S which are our nearest local food stores."

"To contemplate a supermarket on this site is madness..."

Charles Colley feels the new store would "be good for the local community" in terms of jobs and choice.

However he added: "My one reservation is that there has to be a sensible and common sense approach to access to the site."

Residents have previously criticised the proposed location, saying the already congested stretch will be unable to cope with the extra traffic accessing the “abysmally positioned” supermarket.

Highways chiefs say a number of improvements will be introduced if the store is given the green light – including traffic lights at a new access point close to the M20 bridge.

Traffic lights will also be introduced at the junction with Cemetery Lane, which leads to Longacres Bybrook Barn.

The Ashford-bound bus lane which currently runs to just short of the M20 bridge will also be reduced to stop at Kinney's Lane, something which Mrs J M Dorrell feels is a "backwards step".

She added: "Buses will return to being caught up in the congestion, reducing their efficiency and discouraging passengers from using the service.

"If the bus lane is removed, as planned, I suggest it would probably be quicker to walk into Ashford than take a bus at peak times, but walking is not an option for many."

Bill Clark feels additional traffic lights will cause "unacceptable delays" for motorists in an already "highly congested area".

He added: "To contemplate a supermarket on this site is madness due to the amount of traffic using the Canterbury Road as access to and from the town and further afield via Simone Weil Avenue.

"I would like to formally object to this development as the site is unsuitable for a large number of daily vehicle movements due to its proximity to an already frequently highly congested area with insufficient room for another set of traffic lights between the lights at Simone Weil Avenue and Bybrook Road without causing unacceptable delays."

However, Gareth Simmons feels the installation of lights will make the roads easier and safer to use.

He said: "This would be a much welcome new store to have in our part of Ashford.

"Especially as traffic lights are in the plan which will make leaving Cemetery Lane by car far easier than it is at the moment."

Originally 120 parking spaces were planned for the store but this has fallen to 116.

Seven will be disabled bays and 10 will be for parents with young children.

Four bays will have electric vehicle charging points and another 20 will be prepared for charging points in the future.

There will also be enough storage for 18 bikes in cycle stands that will be covered by the store's canopy.

Aldi opened its first store in Ashford in Victoria Road in 2018.

It then submitted plans for a second store in Waterbrook Avenue, just off the A2070, last year which are yet to be approved.

This is the first time official plans for the Kennington site have been submitted to ABC following two public consultations earlier this year.

A smaller plot of land behind the Aldi site in Canterbury Road is also on the market with City and Counties for £500,000.

It is suggested it could be an ‘ideal opportunity’ for a drive-thru restaurant, a boutique hotel, a cafe or restaurant, a garden centre, a car dealership or a leisure facility, among other uses, although nothing has yet been confirmed.

Aldi has been approached for comment.