Councillors side with residents over petrol station plans

Why it matters: The decision means EG On The Move's bid to modernise its Woodbridge Road East fuel station remains on hold, with councillors citing risks to road users – particularly schoolchildren – at what they described as an already busy junction.

The details: The application, reference IP/26/00009/FUL, was considered by Ipswich Borough Council's planning committee and sought permission for a revised layout at the site, comprising:

• Demolition of the existing sales kiosk and erection of a new kiosk building, including a coffee shop drive-through
• Demolition of the existing fuel pumps and erection of a new petrol filling station facility with canopy, including bigger underground fuel tanks
• Replacement of, and additional, high-power EV charging points, along with a substation and EV equipment
• Provision of jet washes
• Sheffield cycle stands
• Alterations to landscaping, including the removal of trees and provision of additional landscaping

The jet wash would operate between 08:00 and 18:00, Monday to Saturday, and up to 13:30 on Sundays.

Matthew Gray, agent for the applicant, told members the redevelopment formed part of a national effort by the company to modernise dated facilities, adding that the current station did not "meet the expectations" of those using it.

The other side: The council's report identified 12 objections raising concerns around noise and road safety. Further representations expand on those concerns, and include a more detailed 10-page objection submitted by a resident living adjacent to the site.

A Cherry Lane Gardens resident said the layout was "car orientated" and questioned whether it met the council's own planning policies on pedestrian safety, warning the development would "present a danger to pedestrian safety, especially children attending the nearby secondary school," and adding that the junction already saw "huge queues" during the morning and evening school run.

Noise from the proposed jet wash was another recurring concern. A Digby Road resident said the jet washes and associated compressors could reach "106 to 110 dBs" and would have "a detrimental effect" on the use of their garden, also raising concerns about the floodlighting that would be needed to operate them in winter and its impact on light pollution for nearby homes. The resident's letter referred to the jet wash operating between 08:00 and 23:00 – longer hours than those set out in the council's own report.

Others objected to the scale of the scheme. One Colchester Road resident described the plans as effectively "an overdevelopment of the site to become a supermarket with adjacent filling station." A Mayfield Road resident said the drive-through coffee shop could take trade from other local independent businesses, adding that vehicles exiting the forecourt "block the pavement" when they cannot get back onto Woodbridge Road East, and raised concerns about the loss of an existing residential property from the borough's housing stock. A separate Digby Road resident said the removal of trees would leave the area "bleak and noisy" for houses backing onto the station.

Helen Dewson, a neighbour, said although the site was ideal for this sort of development, some of the impacts had not been properly addressed.

A more detailed, 10-page formal objection was also submitted by a resident living immediately adjacent to the site on Colchester Road, who said they had lived there for 18 years. They argued the loss of the existing detached house on the site – also earmarked for demolition – would remove "a key acoustic and visual buffer," directly exposing their home to increased noise, light spill and loss of privacy. The submission also questioned whether the site's noise assessment was flawed, as monitoring had been carried out from a position shielded by the house due to be knocked down, and called for the application to be refused or, failing that, for jet wash and drive-through hours to be strictly limited – suggesting 07:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and 09:00 to 18:00 at weekends.

For context: The application follows a previous bid to remove the site's automatic car wash and build a new Costa Drive Thru, which was turned down in late 2020 and later dismissed by a Government inspector on amenity grounds.

The same Colchester Road resident who submitted the formal objection separately wrote to the council's development management and environmental health teams, raising concerns that a jet wash newly installed at the existing site was already operating around the clock, despite conditions restricting car wash use to protect neighbouring residents from noise. The resident asked the council to investigate whether this, along with a new illuminated sign and canopy lighting, breached planning control.

What they're saying: Council officers said the concerns raised previously had been addressed by conditions attached to their recommendation for approval. Councillors were not convinced, however, saying they had "quite a lot of sympathy" for residents and arguing that increased traffic from the upgraded facilities would pose a risk to road users, particularly schoolchildren.

What's next: Councillors agreed to defer the application until more information is provided on road safety, noise from the jet wash, and the hours of operation of the new coffee shop. A site visit will also be carried out before the plans are discussed again.

The bottom line: Councillors have put the brakes on EG On The Move's modernisation plans for the Woodbridge Road East petrol station, siding with residents' safety concerns over officers' recommendation to approve.

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