More than 300 people have already commented on plans for an EV charging hub with the “additional provision” of petrol/diesel and ancillary retail, coffee shop facilities and valeting in Minehead.
As of today (April 17) there are 200 comments from members of the public objecting to the plans and 104 in support of them.
The application – from Forelle Estates Ltd – relates to a piece of unused land to the east of Minehead, to the east of the roundabout between the A39, Ellicombe Lane and Seaward Way.
Both the EV/fuel and coffee shop facilities are aimed at motorists using the adjacent A39 as well as residents of Minehead and the surrounding area.
The application says the EV charging infrastructure in Minehead is currently very limited with facilities restricted to mostly lower voltage charging points located in less convenient locations. The application therefore aims to provide much-needed fast-charging facilities in a strategic location on the edge of Minehead.
Supporters of the development are in favour of the faster charging the new site would deliver but those objecting say there are already three forecourts in the area and that the facility would be a blot on the landscape and harmful to wildlife. A Costa is planned on the site and one objector said: “Costa coffee is really overpriced and not the best.”
Initially, 10 EV charging bays are proposed, eight in the EV charging hub area and two outside the coffee shop, with six of these being fast charging bays. In the future, up to 19 EV charging bays could be provided in the charging station, with a further two charging bays in the coffee shop car parking area. Eventually, the pumps under the canopy could also be removed and replaced with additional charging infrastructure.
The retail elements of the plan will consist of a small convenience store and a drive-thru coffee shop. The convenience store will have a gross internal floorspace of 354.6sq m, with a sales area of 186sq m. The gross internal floorspace of the drive-thru coffee shop will be 169.51sq m.
A pre-application enquiry was submitted to Somerset West and Taunton District Council (now Somerset Council) on behalf of Forelle Estates by Alder King Planning Consultants in January 2022. The enquiry outlined draft proposals for an EV charging station with petrol fuelling provision and ancillary retail facility and coffee shop. Advice was sought to establish whether the development would be acceptable in principle.
A formal response was received in January 2023. The primary concerns raised by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) were that the development fell outside of the development boundary of Minehead, that the retail element of the proposal was “quite substantial” and that it was in an out-of-centre location, and that the proposal would result in a loss of agricultural land. Despite these concerns, the LPA confirmed that it fully supported the concept of EV charging, and that it would look positively at an EV charging station as a form of development.
