Planning application in conservation area meets with local disapproval

Locals are drawing attention to a planning application in respect of which comments will close this Friday 14 July.

The application (23/01892/CON) was lodged for the site at 73 to 77 Ferry Road where a 1264 square metre building within the conservation area is to be demolished.

Locals say they object to a building at number 73, (formerly owned by the Boys’ Brigade and which was used as a sports hall and lies behind the villa next to the BP filling station) being torn down to create space for the new development.

Comments are invited on the council website in relation to this application (which is one of two) until 14 July 2023.

Locals say that Ferry Road is already “traffic-clogged” and this will make things even worse.

A nearby resident said that they will “have a view of the rear of the new garage set up” when the wall is demolished which will involve associated noise. The wall is covered with foliage and is a bird nesting habitat where bird song can be heard all day long. The extension of the garage with more hot food offering will they say result in more traffic and more noise which is not appropriate for a Conservation area. Despite the fact that the transport statement which accompanies the application saying this is “considered a non-hazardous part of the highway network” the objector feels this is an increasingly heavy laden road and “can be quite hazardous for pedestrians on the same side of the road”.

The development will include a “reconfiguration of the BP filling station removing the kiosk, canopy and pumps as well as removing the rear annexe and boundary wall.” This will allow the formation of an electric vehicle charging hub outlined in a related application 23/01891/FUL on which (rather confusingly) comments have already closed with 34 comments made.

EdinPhoto has some images of the building here.

In addition there will be a new kiosk constructed with a food to go servery, new petrol pumps, canopy with solar PV panels, 6 EV charging bays with canopies and chargers, substation and LV panel in enclosure, 2 jet wash bays with jet wash system and canopy, customer parking, SUDS, and landscaping.

The applicant is Motor Fuel Ltd of St Albans who appear to own both properties, having purchased number 73 when it was marketed for sale last year.

Have your say on the application here until 14 July 2023.