Plans submitted for major redevelopment of filling station to include supermarket and farm supply shop

The planning application for 50 Portadown Road was submitted by Clarman Architects, Coalisland, on behalf of Mr Philip Woods, Crewcatt Road, Richhill.

Plans include alterations to the existing filling station and shop, with the proposed relocation of the fuel forecourt, pumps, canopy, and conversion of the existing shop to a local farm supply shop, alongside the construction of a new supermarket with a new site access.

A retail statement, provided with the planning application, makes a case for a major revamp of the commercial operation: “The current shop trades as Woods SuperValu. This shop takes fuel payments and acts as a local supermarket. It sells a mix of fresh, frozen, chilled and ambient food. It provides an in-store off-licence and an in-store post office.

"At present there are 40 staff employed in the store, and it opens between 6am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and 7am until 11 pm on Sunday.

"Based on his extensive business experience, the applicant company has recognised that there are inherent failings in [the] operation. The layout of the current development was criticised by local residents that attended the pre-application public consultation, and as such it is not just the applicant, but the customers that recognise the need for improvements at the site.

"Many mistakenly access the site through the egress, and egress through the access. This creates vehicle conflicts and is a risk to safety. Added to this is the danger caused by cars coming off the road from the Tandragee direction, turning left into the site and cutting across the forecourt to either access the pumps or the four retail units.

"The layout of the development is inefficient and is compromising customer access to fuel, and is a detriment to a principal use of the site which is to meet the needs of the car and van driver.

"The turnover of the fuel sales on the site is below average. This is because of the inefficient layout of the fuel pumps [which] are old and are in need of upgrading.

"The retail turnover of the shop is exceeding the average for a store of this nature, indicating a quantitative need for a larger shop.

"The level of customer car-parking spaces provided is below standard. Significantly, there is no provision on site for larger vehicle parking (e.g. camper van or trailer parking) or dedicated electrical vehicle charging.

"As an important roadside service facility, the site is severely limited. The proposal is a major investment which seeks to enhance fuel sales on the site, and also provide electrical vehicle charging.

"The current business is also overtrading, and there is a requirement to expand to improve the customer experience. The applicant has considered all options for expansion, and the proposal now presented is the most environmentally sustainable, economical and policy-compliant option identified.

"The feedback from the general public during the public consultation event was that the site improvements proposed are welcomed, as it will make the site easier to use by shoppers, and will remove the need for shoppers to travel further afield to Newry and Portadown for grocery shopping.

"The proposal will provide increased car parking spaces, with disabled spaces in front of the former store and at the new store. It will provide large vehicle/towing caravan spaces and motorcycle parking spaces.

"Once the store has been constructed and the supermarket has transferred to the new store, the old store building can be refurbished as the new farm supplies shop.

"The farm supplies shop will extent to circa 568 sq m gross, 495 sq m net. It will not be a farm food shop. Instead it will be used to sell farm hardware goods to be used in the running and maintenance of farms.”