A planning application has been submitted to Wakefield Council in West Yorkshire seeking to demolish a pub that ceased trading two years ago, replacing it with a 24-hour filling station.
The developers, Asmal Forecourts, want to erect a four-pump-island forecourt fronted by a 3,200sq ft shop, together with two EV charging bays, an automatic car wash and parking for 16 cars.
The site sits on a B road between Ossett and Dewsbury, and locals appear split on the proposals. Some residents highlight that a forecourt would be a welcome addition to the town and the shuttered pub is in poor condition.
Others are concerned that the project could jeopardise the annual World Coal Carrying Championships, which since 1963 have begun from the pub, and see competitors race across town while carrying a 50kg sack of coal.
