Raft of objections over plan to demolish Wolverhampton service station for Asda store
Plans to demolish a long-established petrol station in Wolverhampton and build an Asda supermarket in its place have met with a raft of protest.
The Esso service station in Coalway Road, in the Merry Hill ward, has operated on the site for at least 40 years and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The complex also includes a car wash and convenience store.
Applicants EG Group Ltd plan to demolish the existing petrol station and build a single-storey Asda store with associated vehicle, cycle and motor cycle parking and infrastructure. The development will allow for 19 customer car parking spaces, including six for electric vehicle (EV) charging.
However, proposals for the demolition and new retail store have sparked 15 objections – including one each from ward councillors Wendy Dalton and Carol Hyatt. Just four representations supporting the application have been made.
Councillor Dalton said: “I am firmly against this application. Although the area is mainly residential, it is close to the Merry Hill local centre and Warstones Road local centre. We have all the shops we need close at hand and don’t need another supermarket.
“All these local shops – the small businesses – will be badly affected if this is allowed to go ahead. And also, it takes time to charge an electric vehicle, so where will people go whilst their cars are charging? There’s already a real problem with antisocial behaviour and drug taking in the area and I fear this could just make things worse.
“And then there would be the added nuisance of deliveries at all hours, noise disturbances to neighbours and increased traffic problems. If the service station is to be knocked down, what we could really do with is more housing on the site, as there is a desperate shortage across the city.”
Councillor Hyatt said: “As a resident myself, I am concerned because there are already eight places where I can buy milk within walking distance – from shops which employ local people and create local wealth and jobs. Asda’s need for profit may be at the expense of other shops.
“I welcome more EV charging points, but they should add to the local economy and I am concerned that the addition of an Asda will result in other smaller shops becoming vulnerable and we could possibly end up losing them.”
If approved, the planned opening hours for the Asda store would be 7am to 11pm Mondays to Sundays. Developers say the move would represent a £2.5 million investment in the site, with 20 jobs – 12 of which would be new.
Council bosses have been recommended to grant the application subject to conditions at a meeting of the planning committee next Tuesday.
