Top 50 Indies EG On The Move and MFG have both been refused planning permission for new-to-sector sites 250 metres away from each other on the A487 trunk road in north-west Wales.
The firms made separate planning applications for two forecourts that would have served motorists on either side of the Caernarfon bypass, a £139m section of the A487 that opened in 2022, has no petrol stations, and was built to reduce traffic in Caernarfon.
Both proposals have been rejected by Gwynedd Council, despite the authority’s own planning committee noting that drivers on the section of road in question who need fuel “have to leave the bypass and travel into the town, which, ultimately, undermines the purpose of the road”.
EG On The Move’s project comprised a six-pump-island forecourt complete with a 2,100sq ft shop and an 11-bay EV charging hub.
The planning committee recommended the forecourt be given the green light, but the council itself said the filling station would be incompatible with its climate and sustainability policies as it would “provide for transport that uses fossil fuels” and failed to encourage “travel by alternative means rather than by private car”.
Gwynedd also said the forecourt would also “have an adverse impact on the amenities of the area” and cause undue “disturbance, light and noise pollution, and air quality”.
The same council turned down a bid from rival firm MFG for a roadside services forecourt on the other side of the A487 roughly 250m away from EGOTM’s plot.
MFG wanted to erect a new-to-sector filling station with six pump islands, a 5,000sq ft shop, 11 EV charging spaces and three jet wash bays. Initially the company wanted to build a separate drive-thru coffee shop, but this was removed from its plans after the council refused the firm permission for the project.
MFG’s updated plans were also refused by the council, however, with Bontnewydd Community Council and Caernarfon Town Council offering fierce opposition.
Caernarfon Town Council said the forecourt would only serve travellers using the bypass, yet simultaneously argued it would have an “adverse economic impact” on businesses in the town. The council also said while EV chargers were needed, the ones MFG was proposing would “not meet local needs”.
Bontnewydd Community Council, meanwhile, objected “in the strongest possible terms” to the project, saying it was opposed to the “fundamental concept of developing a service site in this area”.
Gwynedd Council, which had the final say on the plans, rejected MFG’s proposals, too.
