The owner of Ashcroft Service Station in Ashcroft Street, St Helens, has submitted a planning application to demolish a storage area and steel container adjacent to the shop on the site, and in their place build a flat-roof extension.
The plans for Shaji Thomas’s site are currently with St Helens Borough Council and a decision is expected at the end of August.
However, there are some concerns around the specifics of the plans.
According to the Highways Agency, from looking at the photographs submitted to the Council, the steel container and store which are shown on the existing plan do not appear to be in situ. The Agency said it appears as though the space in which the extension is to be built is being used for car parking, which may be in connection with the car valeting service shown on the plans.
The Highways Agency has asked that revised plans be provided which highlight where vehicles are parking at present, identifies allocated parking for the valet service and shows the proposed parking with the kiosk extension in situ.
This constitutes an initial highways objection until further information has been provided.
Meanwhile, the Council’s contaminated land officer said that as the extension was ‘very modest’ there was no need for a contamination assessment but suggested that Shaji inform the builder and/or groundworks contractors of the potential for contamination and get them to adopt suitable precautions as deemed necessary. The officer said a watching brief should therefore be implemented during construction.
And the Environment Agency’s report to the Council said the site had been the subject of past industrial activity which poses a medium risk of pollution to controlled waters.
The Agency went on to say it was unable to provide site-specific advice relating to land contamination as it had recently revised its priorities to focus on protecting and improving the groundwater that supports existing drinking water supplies.
It said: “We recommend that you refer to our published ‘Guiding Principles for Land Contamination’ which outlines the approach which should be adopted when managing this site’s risks to the water environment. We also advise that you consult with your Environmental Health/Environmental Protection Department for advice on generic aspects of land contamination management. Where planning controls are considered necessary, we recommend that the environmental protection of controlled waters is considered alongside any human health protection requirements. This approach is supported by paragraph 180 of the National Planning Policy Framework.”
