Refusal of drive-thru cafe and petrol station overturned on appeal

Contentious plans for a petrol station, kiosk and drive-thru café on land in Paisley look set to go ahead after they were allowed on appeal.

The proposed development – which includes an electric vehicle charging facility – for a brownfield site at West March Road, south of St James Interchange, was refused planning permission by Renfrewshire Council.

But Ferguson Planning, working on behalf of EG on the Move, challenged the ruling and a reporter appointed by Scottish ministers has overturned the decision.

Susannah Moore wrote: “I therefore conclude … that the proposed development accords overall with the relevant provisions of the development plan and that there are no material considerations which would still justify refusing to grant planning permission.

“I have considered all the other matters raised, but there are none which would lead me to alter my conclusions.”

The reporter was satisfied the retail and café uses would be of a “small scale”; did not consider the proposal to be “incompatible” with the location; and said it would not lead to a “substantial loss of amenity or a significant adverse effect on neighbouring properties.” As a result, planning permission has been granted, subject to 21 conditions.

Despite local authority officers recommending approval, the application was initially snubbed by the planning and climate change policy board in March.

Councillor Kenny MacLaren moved to refuse, considering the proposal to breach different policies of the local development plan, and secured agreement at the meeting.

This week, the SNP representative for Paisley Northwest said: “It’s an extremely disappointing decision by the Scottish Government reporter and will have a negative impact on the residents of nearby streets, principally St James Avenue.

“I was surprised initially that council planners recommended that this application be approved, but I felt vindicated on my decision to refuse when every member of the planning and climate change policy board backed my decision to object to these plans.

“I have no doubt that this development will negatively impact on the residents of St James Avenue and I believe the reporter hasn’t taken their concerns as seriously as they should have done.”

Ferguson Planning argued the project did comply with the relevant policies in an appeal statement. It said: “The proposed scale of the development is dictated by the functional need to service vehicles. The petrol filling station is a standard scale, typical of most petrol filling stations.

“The simple single-storey form of both the café and retail unit will not create an overbearing sense of bulk or enclosure, in part due to the separation from other existing buildings and the scale of the nearby road flyover.

“The ancillary nature of the drive-thru and retail units mean that they will not have a detrimental impact on the range of network centres in the local area.”

It has also suggested the plans will provide an employment boost. A planning statement said: “Previous experience on similar projects suggests that employment associated with the petrol filling station and restaurant/café would cumulative amount to circa 45 positions, comprising both full-time and part-time opportunities.

“It is likely that the operators of both outlets will turn to the local employment market to recruit staff. This is likely to result in the majority of staff employed living locally in Paisley and the Renfrewshire Council area more widely.”

But representations were submitted urging the Scottish Government’s planning and environmental appeals division to dismiss the case.

One said: “Residents in this area have been raising concerns about this site and the wider pattern of development around it for some time now, and those concerns have not gone away. If anything, they have grown stronger.

“I fully support Renfrewshire Council’s decision to refuse this application and believe the planning board was right to conclude that the development would have an unacceptable impact on the residential amenity of St James Avenue and the surrounding area.”

However, an update confirmed on Wednesday: “The case has been allowed and consent has been granted.”