Letchworth could gain an Aldi supermarket and a Travelodge hotel within 18 months if a proposed £16 million redevelopment gets the green light.

The plans for the 4½-acre industrial site off Avenue One – between Baldock Road and Sixth Avenue – were shown to the public at the Herts FA offices in Baldock Road on Wednesday, with a planning application set to be lodged later this month.

A fast-food restaurant and a café are also in the blueprint – and a spokesman for developers Aberdeen Asset Management told the Comet that if all goes smoothly, the site could be ready by next autumn.

“It depends on the planning application, but we hope we can start work by the end of this year,” he said.

“Once we start, it’s set to be a 12-month build.”

He added that the regeneration would create about 150 new jobs, and was well-received by the 36 people who attended Wednesday’s exhibition.

The construction would make 37 jobs, with another 29 or so created in the supply chain during the redevelopment.

The plans include parking spaces for 216 cars, split between the supermarket, 73-room hotel, fast-food outlet and café – the last two of which would both have drive-throughs.

It has not yet been confirmed which fast-food restaurant and café are planned.

Aberdeen’s Haseeb Hassan said yesterday that the firm – also behind the new A1 Retail Park in Biggleswade – was set to invest more than £16 million into the site.

“After several years of looking for new tenants for the site without success, we decided that a redevelopment into a new modern multi-use facility was the best option,” he said.

“We were pleased with the number of people who attended our exhibition and who have given us feedback. We would still like to hear from anyone who wants to comment on the plans.”

The Comet understands that the planning application is set to be lodged with North Herts District Council in the week beginning February 20.

You can get more information about the Letchworth plans, view copies of the exhibition display and make your own comments online at 1avenueone.co.uk.