24-hour Ludlow petrol station gets the go-ahead

The filling station on the northern gateway to the town close to Ludlow School will be open all day for seven days a week, and will include six pumps, a convenience store and a coffee shop.

Members of Shropshire Council's south planning committee rubber stamped the proposal at a meeting at Shirehall in Shrewsbury yesterday after months of talks over pollution risk, road safety and the impact on neighbours.

The town currently only has one other filling station on its south east edge, run by Midcounties Co-operative next to the A49 bypass, but neither that nor the nearest petrol pumps in Craven Arms are open around the clock.

The plans for a site off Bromfield Road and Coronation Avenue were given the go ahead after developers first designed "bomb-roof" alarm-protected tanks to allay pollution fears, then pledged £40,000 for a zebra crossing and road safety measures.

In March some councillors suggested round-the-clock opening was "excessive", but yesterday principal planning officer Graeme French told the committee the station was recommended to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But he said the shop would be shut from midnight to 6am unless developer Mead House can come up with a plan for how it will "monitor and mitigate" the effect of increased traffic on residents in the small hours.

He said the zebra crossing could go on either Bromfield or Coronation Avenue.

Councillor Andy Boddington, who represents the Ludlow North ward where the site is based, said he was now happy with the plans.

He said the exact nature of the pedestrian safety measures would be discussed by both Ludlow Town Council and a new "In and Out of Ludlow" forum for residents.

He said: "I think we have a satisfactory amount in the bank and the good will to get this resolved.

"We do have a demand (for 24 hour opening).

"Maybe not at 3am, but we are an agricultural area as well as a tourist area and there are certainly people about at 5am.

"I personally can't see why, if you go to fill up with petrol in the middle of the night for work, you can't buy a pint of milk at the same time.

"But we do need to limit alcohol sales, because that's where the anti-social behaviour comes in."

Councillor Richard Huffer, for Clee, said the plans were now "much improved", adding "this ticks all the boxes with regard to the concerns that were raised".

Councillor John Hurst-Knight, member for Bridgnorth West and Tasley, said: "It will serve a need not just in Ludlow but in the rural area around."

Work is expected to start on the site, currently a brick merchants, later this year.