Planning permission has been granted by South Tyneside Council for an expansion of the store at St Matthews Service Station in Jarrow.
The site comprises a four-pump Esso petrol forecourt providing eight filling points, with canopy above, a tyre inflation area and a single-storey building hosting a Spar convenience store and a small Subway
The owner, EG Group, had applied for permission to increase the size of the store from 360sq m to 472sq m, and in a planning statement supporting its application it said: “PFSs can no longer operate as a viable business selling fuel alone. As such, an ancillary range of goods and services that augment the sale of fuel is critical in order to ensure that the site, as a whole, can be profitable.
“Since the construction of the kiosk building by EG Group, there has been a gradual realisation that fuel sales needed to be supported further by ancillary goods/services.
“This has not been possible through the internal re-configuration of the store. In light of this, EG Group Ltd have deemed it necessary to seek permission for a small extension.”
It concluded: ”The company considers that an increase in the sale of ancillary goods is important in ensuring the continued viability of the PFS.”
A planning officer who assessed the plans on behalf of the council recommended approval and concluded: “The proposal would not be harmful to visual amenity of the site or surrounding area, would not be harmful to the residential amenity of neighbouring properties and would not be harmful to highways safety. The development is considered to be an acceptable form of development in accordance with the relevant policies of the Local Development Framework and the NPPF.”
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