Top 50 Indie EG On The Move can finally begin work on demolishing and rebuilding a forecourt in Ipswich, Suffolk, after the local authority gave the firm the go-ahead.
Back in January this year EGOTM applied to Ipswich Borough Council for permission to renew the Woodbridge Road East site, knocking down the “tired and dated” facility and constructing a modern forecourt complete with jet wash bays, EV charging and a drive-thru coffee shop integrated into a new 3,900sq ft shop.
A month after the firm submitted its application the local Environment Agency requested that EGOTM carry out a detailed risk assessment relating to the potential contamination of a water aquifer that sits beneath the forecourt, telling the firm its plans as they stood represented an “unacceptable risk”.
Then in July Ipswich Borough Council asked for more information about noise and traffic management, with Suffolk Police noting that the forecourt sits on a road junction with so poor a design it would not be permitted “if the area was being developed from scratch”. The project also faced opposition from local residents over disruption and noise concerns.
Now, having carried out the requisite environmental and traffic work, and added new acoustic fencing to its plans, EG On The Move has been granted planning permission for the project, with the only conditions being the jet wash and drive-thru are limited in their hours of operation to 9am to 6pm, and 10am and 1.30pm on Sundays.
The Ipswich Star reports that the local planning committee recommended the project go ahead, with the council agreeing with that assessment and rubber stamping the plans.
