A NEW electric vehicle charging hub, petrol station and 24-hour-shop can be built on a former car showroom site on one of the city’s busiest roads.

An application to flatten the former Stanley Cars buildings on Canal Road and re-develop the site was submitted to Bradford Council last year.

The plans have now been approved after “lengthy negotiations” between highways officers and the applicant – Valli Forecourts.

 

Described by the applicants as a “modern day roadside service” – the development will include a petrol filling station, eight electric car charging points with solar panels on top of each charging station., a car wash and a 421 square metre shop.

There will also be parking for 45 cars, and there would be access to the site from Canal Road and Station Road.

The site is home to two vacant buildings, the Stanley Cars showroom and an old Lexus dealership.

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But before these were built the site had previously been a filling station.

The application had said: “Modern roadside services are not now simply used as a means to refuel, they also provide invaluable place of respite for drivers, food to go and convenience retail.”

Initially the Council’s highways officers had objected to the plans. They feared traffic entering the site from the Canal Road Southbound lanes would have to cross two busy lanes of traffic.

Cars leaving the site to travel South may have to cross up to four lanes.

The applicants re-designed the access plans after discussions with officers, and the approved scheme will now include a raised island in the centre of Canal Road to prevent cars turning right into this site.

There will also be traffic orders to prevent parking around the Station Road entrance to the site.

Approving the scheme, planning officers said: “The site is in a strategic location on the highway network along which there are limited similar facilities.

“The applicant has confirmed that the primary source of income and revenue will be from the EV charging and sales of fuel.

The 16 new jobs created by this development weighs in favour of the development.

“The proposal is considered to be an appropriate form of development for this prominent site on one of the main thoroughfares in and out of the City.

“It would also represent a visual improvement which subject to the alterations to the highway shown on the approved plans would not be harmful to highway safety.”