MFG has had to revise a series of improvements planned for a forecourt in Yorkshire after the firm’s engineers discovered it would be impossible to reduce the size of the site’s canopy without the structure becoming unstable.
The firm initially wanted to remove two pump islands and two stanchions, alongside roughly a third of the canopy, to facilitate increased parking in front of the shop, as well as a new parcel-locker hub.
The changes were set to be part of a comprehensive redevelopment at the Belmont Service Station site in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorks. A 720sq ft food-to-go extension is set to be added to the forecourt shop, while an automatic car wash will be replaced with two jet-wash bays.
But while Calderdale Council gave MFG’s plans approval, the firm has had to submit an updated planning application after it found it could not alter the canopy in the manner it intended.
MFG’s planners write that since approval was granted in February, “further investigation and design work has been undertaken on site, and it has become apparent that is not possible to remove part of the forecourt canopy due to the nature of its construction and the instability that would be created if this were done.”
The firm still intends to press ahead with the shop extension and car-wash changes but will, if permission for the revised plans is granted, keep the canopy as is and remove only one pump island rather than two.
