Since the Shell garage on Temeside closed a few years ago, Ludlow has had only one petrol station in the town. That has led to long queues for fuel at the Co-op on Foldgate Lane (formerly Harry Tuffins). This is about to change. Yesterday the South Planning Committee approved plans for a petrol station and convenience store on the corner of Bromfield Road and Coronation Avenue.
The petrol station could be open 24 hours if the retailer wishes to do so. The maximum store opening hours will be from 6am to midnight. There are conditions in place that will allow 24 hour opening providing the retailer puts in place a management plan to ensure there is no night time disturbance.
Yesterday I urged the planning committee to approve the proposal, which I think has been considerably improved while in the planning system – though I wish that process could have been quicker. During the two years the application has been considered, we have reduced the height of the store, got robust fuel tanks which are mostly above ground, and gained funding for safe pedestrian crossings.
There is no start date yet for work beginning on the site or for the opening of the store and petrol station. There is no news either whether the store will be a Harry Tuffins or another brand.
the creation of this petrol station and convenience store will not affect the area of the town in which I live but I do feel for people living in what is still an oasis – lower Corve Street remains a little gem but there is no doubt that its peace and quiet will be destroyed. I cannot believe that there could have been no other suitable site – the most suitable would have been the site of the previous garage opposite Tesco in Corve Street; there could have been a requirement from the planning committee that the work of cleaning up this site could have been part of the bargain – you might say it is indeed a genuine brown field site. Against the use of this site would have been the mighty Tesco – they certainly wouldn’t have welcomed the loss of trade; Tesco, like all the giant traders is happy to destroy the trade of the little shops but isn’t good to take it on the chin themselves.
You are supporting the application Andy – I would have expected more of you.
Thanks Joyce
I can’t agree with you that this will destroy the peace and quiet of lower Corve Street. The development is on the other side of the river and screened from it.
This is a brownfield site. The vacant site opposite Tesco would be unlikely to get planning permission for a store or petrol station on traffic grounds. It would draw vehicles into the centre for fuel only and would lead to congestion at the Tesco lights.
Unfortunately, we are not in a position to dictate where stores etc. go in the modern planning system and the way it is implemented in Shropshire. We permit permissible developments within broad zones, and often outside the zones. There is almost no way at present in Shropshire we can specify the location for a petrol station or store, just reject those that are unsuitable under planning rules.
This application was due to be approved by officers. I resisted it and took it to planning committee to get a better deal. If the committee had thrown it out – and there were no grounds for doing so – the application would have succeeded at an appeal to the planning inspectorate. That would have cost the council a lot of money in costs and we may have got such a good deal o pedestrian crossings.
It is a pity it took so long but this is something that is much needed this side of the town, I think Andy you did well to champion some of the changes that have been adopted, I hope work starts quickly.
Thank you Joyce for you sympathetic comments to the residents of Lower Corve Street that includes me.
Andy Boddington’s belated support for this project includes opening the shop throughout the night. My objection was and is in respect of the traffic this will generate down Corve Street during anti-social hours with headlights and revving engines – this narrow road with resident parking is already abused with the one-way system, ignored right under the noses of Council planners. Will the Council now turn the street lights back on after midnight?
In the past we have even had an articulated lorry parking up overnight in lower Corve Street, de-restricted after 6pm. A petrol station will only encourage this trend. The Council says there are no restrictions on the type or size of vehicle that may park on designated parking on Ludlow streets – quite unlike London boroughs that confine lorries to lorry parks and ban high-sided vehicle over a permitted height; larger commercial vans are not allowed to use residents’ parking.
One solution could be to cobble the whole of lower Corve Street to calm traffic at all times. Shrewsbury makes much more extensive use of cobbling – as do the French ports. And, of course, cobbled streets are very much ‘in keeping’ with the historic environment.
Susan
Thanks for your comment.
I quite agree that lower Corve Street is being used as a rat run, but I don’t think this proposal, which has its entrance on Coronation Avenue will increase traffic on that street.
We need to tackle the through traffic on lower Core Street and I will be calling a community meeting about this shortly, prior to developing firm proposals through the In and Out of Ludlow forum.
We will be conducting a town-wide survey on street lights and other safety issues later in the year.