MFG is seeking to extend the opening hours at its Morrisons Whitefield forecourt on A56 Bury New Road in Greater Manchester, from 6am to midnight, seven days a week – to 24-hour trading.
The Top 50 Indie says the additional opening hours would be for the benefit of people working outside the current opening hours such as healthcare workers, delivery drivers, agricultural workers and service industry employees. “All would gain from an accessible forecourt,” it explains.
The application includes a noise assessment report from Infinity Acoustics which contains vehicle movements and pump usage details from transaction data obtained at 17 other MFG-owned and operated 24-hour fuel sites. It found that during the busiest one-hour period between midnight and 6am there could be 22 transactions. This would equate to approximately six transactions per 15-minute assessment period.
However, the report says the client has no way to differentiate between fuel purchases and normal purchases of goods. “Given this, it has been assumed there would be four vehicle movements at the site for fuel filling operations and two vehicle movements at the site for shop-only purchases, thus equating to a total of six movements per 15-minute operational period.”
Infinity Acoustics said that provided all its recommendations are implemented, all relevant noise criteria can be achieved, and low impact is expected. Those recommendations are that the Tannoy system should not operate during the period of extended hours of operation, except in cases of emergency, and the fuel delivery period and all other deliveries should not occur within the proposed period of extended operation (between midnight and 6am).
So far there has been one objection to the 24-hour opening with a local saying: “A 24-hour commercial operation is inappropriate in a predominately residential area and brings no added value. Existing 24-hour options can be found along Bury New Road which meet the needs of car drivers and are in more logistically appropriate places (next to the motorway). Vehicle movements and customer activity at night will have an additional impact on the amenity of residents nearby. It may even attract anti-social behaviour.”
