An appeal hearing was held to determine whether Craven District Council’s decision to refuse a controversial new petrol station on the outskirts of Skipton should be overturned.
The proposal next to the A65/A59 roundabout off Gargrave Road and opposite Keelham Farm Shop was refused by the council’s planning committee in October last year against officers’ recommendations.
At the time, councillors gave four reasons for refusal citing harm to the character and appearance of the area, highways safety, damage to biodiversity and its impact on shops in the town centre.
The development would also include a shop, car wash, EV charging points and a new mini roundabout with developer Brookfield Property Holdings Ltd arguing it would meet a demand for roadside services along the A65/A59 road network.
Government planning inspector Helen Hockenhull chaired the all-day meeting at the council offices in Skipton, which was attended by representatives on behalf of the developer as well as several objectors including local businesses and residents.
A final decision will be made by Ms Hockenhull at a later date.
North Yorkshire Council decided to only defend one reason for refusal — that the petrol station will harm the character and appearance of the area, which includes its designation as a ‘local green space’.
This definition in Craven’s Local Plan affords the site protection from development unless in exceptional circumstances.
One example where development is permitted is for local transport infrastructure, which the developer strongly argued the scheme would deliver.
But objectors such as Karen Darvell, chair of Stirton with Thorlby Parish Council, said the scheme would destroy an area cherished by residents. She said: “It lies in open, unspoiled and undeveloped nature. It’s local green space that is rich in wildlife and is there to protect species. Please be in no doubt the space is significant.”
Stirton resident Jenny Andrews played a video of traffic backed up from the roundabout, which she said would be a scene made much worse by the development.
General manager of nearby Craven Cattle Marts, Jeremy Eaton, said farm traffic on auction days would also exacerbate congestion in the area if the petrol station is built.
Conservative councillor for Mid Craven, Simon Myers, said the site at present offers a green welcome to Skipton and more queues could put people off from visiting.
He said: “One thing that will stop people going to Skipton is if they have to queue. Skipton is a gateway to the Dales for visitors and tourists. It has an aesthetic importance and that entrance is still very green.”
The developer had faced criticism for undertaking a traffic survey during the covid pandemic which led to new surveys being done in June and July of this year.
Karen Smith from highways consultants Sanderson Associates, said it showed that the original survey data was sound.
She said: “We concluded that the data we had used provided a robust assessment and the data was comparable, if anything traffic flows have fallen slightly.”
Ms Smith also said that the petrol station would not result in much more traffic as most of its customers would already be travelling on that stretch of road. She added: “The facility itself will not generate a lot of traffic in its own right, much will be passed by or diverted trips with very few primary trips.”
The key element of the appeal centred around whether the petrol station would harm views.
North Yorkshire Council’s principle planning officer Mark Moore, defended councillors’ original refusal on these grounds. He said:
“The site is open in nature. By their very nature these petrol stations have to be visible and presence known.”
“It will largely obscure views. This has to be viewed from the context as its designation as local green space.”
But this claim was disputed by James Cox from planning agent Lichfields. He said: “Its important to recognise the scheme relates to half of the green space and the remainder of the site wouldremain undeveloped. We consider the scale of development to be quite modest.”
Ben Pickering from Rosetta Landscape Design added: “From a visual point of view, it’s a well contained site. The impact is in the right context. The greenery, wildflower meadow and green roof will definitely improve the setting of building.”
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