Top 50 Indie EG Group has been given the go-ahead to demolish Blackburn Service Station and to rebuild the site with fewer petrol pumps, a larger shop with potential for food to go, two ultra-fast vehicle chargers, and a cycle storage area.
In November, the Issa brothers-owned business applied for planning permission for the upgrade at the Whalley Banks 0.21 hectare site, which is on the A674, 600m south west of the town centre, near to J6 of the M65.
The application, the first of any significance for the site since the 1990s, has been approved with conditions by Blackburn wtih Darwen Borough Council. The regeneration will include the demolition of the existing Shell petrol station,1,615sq ft Spar retail shop and 1,400sq ft chemist, and the erection of a replacement petrol filling station with associated infrastructure.
The plans include a 5,113sq ft shop, a substation to power the EV charging, and the number of petrol and diesel pumps reduced from 12 to six.
The supporting planning statement submitted with the application noted that most public electric vehicle chargepoints (EVCPs) are in Blackburn town centre, with very little serving the south-west of Blackburn, outside the town centre. Moreover, many of the available charging points are located at shopping centres, supermarkets, or cinemas, which are intended for customer use only.
In the wider town centre chargers are fast to rapid (ranging from 22kW to 50kW) and as such, according to the application statement, there is a need for ultra-rapid charging that can deliver charging power of 100kW or more.
The reworked site will continue to primarily serve passing traffic, providing “an enhanced and upgraded experience” where motorists can stop and refuel or recharge their vehicles and purchase food and refreshments from the ancillary food and retail shop.
The plans detailed 23 defined vehicle spaces (including two disabled bays, two EV charging bays, two staff parking bays, and one air/water bay and six filling bays), and a cycle storage area for up to six bikes.
The statement said. “The substation and associated infrastructure will enable the expansion of the EVCP at the site in response to changing demands, whereby traditional petroleum fuels are to be phased out.”
