BUILDING work is to start on the low-cost food store in Abergavenny next month.

The former Abergavenny Motors site was acquired by the international food-giant Aldi in 2007 and the company achieved planning permission the following year for the demolition and the redevelopment of the former Renault showroom in Monmouth Road.

However in August 2010 Aldi mothballed the scheme as the recession started to take a hold. At the same time the company announced it was closing three stores in South Wales saying that it could not 'easily justify' the development of a new store in Abergavenny.

But now a spokeswoman for Aldi said: "We are pleased to announce that the construction of the new store in Abergavenny will commence on April 16 and we look forward to opening the store in September 2012."

The Aldi store has planning permission for 1,268 sq metres of retail space and the company said it would be creating 20 full time jobs.

Aldi has suggested that the Abergavenny store will carry a range of around 800 items, but it will not be selling newspapers or pharmacy items.

The company also have planning permission for 73 parking spaces for customers.

Aldi had until November 2013 to start the building process before they needed to reapply for planning permission. The company has offered to make a contribution of £10,000 towards traffic-related enhancement works in the area.