More than 50 objections have been lodged against Top 50 Indie Penny Petroleum’s plans to convert an unused workshop at the former Coates Garage in Brompton Road, Scorton near Catterick, into a shop.
Most of the objections made to North Yorkshire Council are concerned with the new shop taking trade away from the current village Post Office and shop. Objectors say they value the Post Office for its banking services and its position as a community hub.
At present, the petrol filling station has a small area (approx. 18sq m) with tills to take payments. The remainder of the building comprises a workshop/MOT centre which is unused.
In applying for retrospective planning permission, Penny Petroleum wants to relocate the tills and retail area into part of the former workshop to provide a larger retail space (approx. 175sq m), selling a greater range of products. To the rear of the shop there would be an accessible WC for customer use, meeting room and a kitchen as well as a rear fire exit.
The proposed work involves altering the existing entrance doors to the workshop to form a new shop entrance with new fascia. The existing window into the workshop would be altered to form a new window looking from the tills onto the forecourt and including a night pay drawer.
The existing tills/retail space and part of the workshop to the rear of this area would initially be used for storage in connection with the new shop but may, in the future, be let out to a business tenant. This would be subject to a further planning application.
