Featherstone

Darwen Investments Ltd, operated by Irfan, Mohsin and Yasin Patel, has been granted planning permission to remodel its Millpond Petrol Station in Featherstone, Pontefract.

The company sought permission for a part demolition, a rear extension and new shop front, a change of use to the existing store to include a takeaway, EV chargepoints, two jet wash bays, an ATM and the replacement of the existing 5m pole sign with a 7m sign.

The proposals included a glazed modern shopfront with integrated ATM machine. The shop would be clad in grey metal with render also used.

The shop would be extended to the rear (from 68m2 to 245m2) to create a larger main shop, store area and small office. Within the existing store, there would be a new hot food-to-go unit.

The development also included two jet wash bays to the south west corner of the site in addition to a bin storage area.

Along the southern boundary, there would be eight EV bays. An EV charging substation would be located to the rear of the proposed hot food takeaway unit in the south east corner of the site.

There would be a total of 24 parking spaces (including the eight EV charging bays).

Wakefield Council approved the application saying: “The location and scale of the development within the urban area of Featherstone is considered to be acceptable.

“The development would look acceptable in terms of visual amenity and with conditions would not adversely affect existing residents.”

The conditions included the fact that the pole sign stay at 5m which the council deemed as ‘adequate’. In addition, the hot food takeaway is not allowed to operate outside the hours of 11am-11pm Monday to Sunday, including Bank Holidays.

The council also needs more details of the proposed surface water drainage as well as an investigation into ground gases to see whether gas protection measures were required or gas protection measures needed to be installed as a precaution, without an investigation.

And the jet wash bays cannot be used until details of the screens have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The council also wants a security and crime prevention strategy for the site.