The budget supermarket Aldi is appealing against Elmbridge Council’s decision last August to reject its bid to build a store on the old Guy Salmon Jaguar Landrover Dealership in Portsmouth Road.

Nine days have been set aside to hear the case for and against the proposal. The inquiry, which will be heard by a planning inspector, is likely to take place in June.

When the plan was rejected last year, Richard Khodabakhsh, Aldi’s property director, said: “We remain fully committed to investing in the area and are confident that an appeal will overturn the decision.”

Among the reasons for councillors rejecting the planning application for the two-storey building with 926 sq m of retail space were fears over increased traffic and its impact on neighbours as well as compromising the Giggs Hill Green conservation area and disadvantaging local shops.