EG Group has been refused planning permission for a new forecourt with two drive-thrus in part because the council in question says drive-thrus do not support ‘healthy lifestyles’.
Rochdale Borough Council refused permission for the development at Kingsway in Rochdale, saying that because it was in the vicinity of Kingsway Park High School it would fail to support healthy lifestyles and would therefore be contrary to Rochdale core strategy and to the objectives of the Rochdale guidelines and standards for hot food takeaway uses.
Other reasons for the decision included the impact on the town centre and the 24-hour opening, which the council said would result in ‘unacceptable harm’ for neighbours in terms of traffic noise and disruption.
The council added that the application was not supported by sufficient information to demonstrate that the proposed petrol filling station would not create an unacceptable risk of pollution to groundwater. Also, the application was criticised for its design, specifically failing to respond positively to the site context and neighbouring uses.
EG Group had proposed a petrol filling station with four jet wash bays, one rollover car wash, 12 EV charging bays, two drive-thru units, car parking and landscaping.
The plans attracted 17 letters of support from interested parties ie neighbouring properties and 198 letters of objection.
Supporting comments included the fact that the proposal would be a good use of the land and would bring employment to the area.
Objections included the belief that the development would be detrimental to residents’ health due things such as air pollution. There were also concerns about adding to traffic congestion and causing anti-social behaviour.
EG Group sold its UK forecourt interests in November to Zuber Issa, who is now setting up his own petrol station network under the EG On The Move banner.
