Appeal lodged after plans for new petrol station in Paisley refused

The proposed development – which also included an electric vehicle charging facility – on a brownfield site at West March Road, south of St James Interchange, was refused planning permission earlier this year.

Despite officers’ recommendation to grant, subject to conditions, the application was snubbed by the planning and climate change policy board.

But Ferguson Planning, working on behalf of EG on the Move, has challenged the ruling to Scottish ministers, arguing the project does comply with the relevant policies.

A statement 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 means that they will not have a detrimental impact on the range of network centres in the local area.”

Councillor Kenny MacLaren, an SNP representative for Paisley Northwest, expressed concern about the potential impact on residents of the nearby St James Avenue at March’s board meeting.

He said: “What we’re talking about here is the 24/7 operation of the petrol filling station, the constant noise of generators, light pollution, extra traffic on the A726 – potentially making a congested area worse by bringing more traffic onto this main road.

“There is little in the way of pavements to this facility, with the main route being a disused path between the quiet residential St James Avenue and the new facility.

“This is a very quiet and safe location, and it will result in a massive increase in pedestrians using this route during the time the drive-thru is open – from 6am until 11pm.

“I’ve yet to find a fast-food service that doesn’t increase litter in the surrounding area, so that is another issue that residents of St James Avenue will have to put up with.”

A planning statement, prepared by Ferguson Planning on the applicant’s behalf, suggested the plans would provide an employment boost in the area.

It said: “Previous experience on similar projects suggests that employment associated with the petrol filling station and restaurant/café would cumulatively 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.”

A number of objections were submitted, which raised worries about potential traffic congestion and safety, incompatibility with the character of the area, noise and anti-social behaviour and impact on biodiversity and air quality.

Councillor MacLaren moved to refuse, considering the proposal to breach different policies of the local development plan, securing the board’s agreement.

However, that decision has been contested, and the Scottish Government has confirmed the appeal is ready to be allocated to a reporter for consideration.

A target date of August 4 has been set by the planning and environmental appeals division.