An appeal has been lodged against Renfrewshire Council's decision to reject plans for a petrol station, kiosk and drive-thru café on land in Paisley. The proposed development, which also included an electric vehicle charging facility, was planned for a brownfield site at West March Road, south of St James Interchange. The application was refused planning permission earlier this year despite officers' recommendation to grant it, subject to conditions, by the planning and climate change policy board.
Appeal lodged with Scottish ministers
Ferguson Planning, working on behalf of EG on the Move, has challenged the ruling to Scottish ministers, arguing the project complies with 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." It added that the simple single-storey form of both the café and retail unit will not create an overbearing sense of bulk or enclosure, partly due to separation from existing buildings and the scale of the nearby road flyover. The statement also noted that the ancillary nature of the drive-thru and retail units means they will not have a detrimental impact on local network centres.
Concerns raised by councillor
Councillor Kenny MacLaren, an SNP representative for Paisley Northwest, expressed concern about the potential impact on residents of 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." He highlighted the lack of pavements to the facility, with the main route being a disused path between quiet residential St James Avenue and the new facility. He added: "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."
Employment boost cited
A planning statement from Ferguson Planning 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 cumulative amount to circa 45 positions, comprising both full-time and part-time opportunities." The statement added that it is likely operators will turn to the local employment market to recruit staff, resulting in most employees living locally in Paisley and the wider Renfrewshire Council area.
Objections and next steps
Several objections were submitted raising concerns about potential traffic congestion and safety, incompatibility with the character of the area, noise, anti-social behaviour, and impact on biodiversity and air quality. Councillor MacLaren moved to refuse, considering the proposal breached 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.
