Four Northern Ireland filling station expansion plans are turned down in the same week
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s Planning Committee refused four applications for filling station developments at a meeting earlier this week.
Proposals were considered for the demolition of 6 Station Road and extension of the Eurospar retail unit at Station Road, Doagh. As well as partial demolition and extension to an existing supermarket to include additional retail space, deli and internal seating at the Maxol Service Station, 124 Monkstown Road, Newtownabbey. And the amalgamation of hot food unit with filling station shop at the Maxol Filling Station, 45 Mallusk Road as well as the sub-division of a retail unit on land to the south of Hightown Road, Glengormley.
A report to the committee regarding the Doagh application said: “In this case, it is considered that the scale of the proposal, resulting in 691sqm of retail floorspace, is contrary to the policy provisions in that the proposal exceeds the day-to-day needs of residents within Doagh.
“It is considered that a retail unit of 691sqm of retail floorspace would provide a function in excess of what would be considered to be local day-to-day needs.”
In relation to the Monkstown Road application, the report says it is considered by planners that the new development would “operate beyond what would be considered a local shop”.
“It is considered that the size and scale of the proposed development goes beyond providing day-to-day needs. It has not been demonstrated that a development of the scale proposed will not have a detrimental impact on the existing local, district and town centres within Metropolitan Newtownabbey and therefore the principle of development is not acceptable.”
With regard to the proposed amalgamation of hot food unit with filling station shop and associated reconfiguration of internal floor space at the Maxol Filling Station, Mallusk Road, the report said: “It is considered that the existing store is currently providing a valuable service and can comfortably cater for the immediate day-to-day daily shopping needs of the area.
“The principle of the development is not acceptable as it has not been demonstrated that there is a deficiency in local shops to provide daily shopping needs and the scale of the development would exceed day-to-day shopping; It has not been demonstrated that a development of this scale will not have a detrimental impact on the established quasi local centres of Mallusk and Mayfield or the quasi town centre of Glengormley.”
The Hightown Road application site is north of St Enda’s GAC club and is a section of agricultural land that has previously been granted planning permission.
A mixed use development comprising a petrol filling station and local neighbourhood supermarket, care home and modifications to proposed housing lay-out was granted permission last March. The current application seeks to vary two conditions and remove a condition regarding the maximum floor space and sub-division of retail units.
The report notes: “There are no objections to the creation of the two smaller units which are limited in footprint, however, the concern in this case relates to whether the proposed increase in retail floor space would mean that the larger retail unit would serve more than day to day needs.
It also says:”The scale of the development, if permitted, would exceed day-to-day local shopping and it has not been demonstrated that a development of the scale proposed will not have a detrimental impact on the existing local, district and town centres within Metropolitan Newtownabbey.”