The company submitted a $5.39m development application to Tamworth Regional Council last week.

Aldi is yet to confirm if it is expanding its presence in the city with a second store or moving from its current location in Centrepoint Shopping Centre. When contacted by The Leader, Aldi still hadn’t shed any light on the development by Wednesday night.

While Aldi has purchased the entire 20,000-square-metre lot, which stretches from behind the properties on Hiltons St to Locks Ln, the store will only use a small part of the block located directly opposite Karwin St.

The development application details plans for a 1727-square-metre store and an 103-space car park.

Including the car park, the store will only use about 7000 square metres of the available space.

The store will employ up to 20 people on a full-time and part-time basis, and operate every day of the week from 8.30am to 8pm, with late night shopping hours on Thursday.

Tamworth mayor Col Murray said the new supermarket was more good news for the city.

“I think it’s another vote of confidence in the growth of the market in Tamworth,” Cr Murray said.

“Aldi appears to be quite popular with a lot of shoppers and provides somewhat of an alternative to the traditional Coles and Woolworths.”

In January 2015, Woolworth’s-owned home-improvement retailer Masters pulled the plug on its plan for a $25m store in Tamworth.

One year later, Woolworths announced it would sell all Masters stores.

When Masters pitched its Tamworth development, locals were concerned it would extend onto the floodplain – an issue Aldi looks set to avoid by only using a small part of the site.

Cr Murray said residents were also “very passionate” about the traffic issues surrounding the Masters’ development, which he expected to see again.

“It’s something we have to deal with when it comes to any one of these developments,” Cr Murray said.

“Growth brings change and change brings challenges.” Tamworth already has eight supermarkets.