Bradley Stoke looks set to get two new drive-through and sit-in fast food restaurants after a planning inspector allowed an appeal against South Gloucestershire Council’s decision to refuse permission for development at the town’s Willow Brook shopping centre.
The inspector’s decision means that ‘full’ permission has been granted for a two-storey McDonald’s restaurant and a single-storey Starbucks coffee shop, both to be located on the northern edge of the centre’s car park, approximately where the Waves hand car wash is currently positioned.
‘Outline’ permission has also been granted for two extra units to be added on the end of the centre’s existing ‘retail terrace’ (i.e. beyond the Poundstretcher store) and an associated reconfiguration of the car park and access road.
The application was strongly opposed by local residents in Wheatfield Drive and Dewfalls Drive, where the closest residential property is just 22m away from the proposed Starbucks outlet.
Bradley Stoke Town Council also registered an objection to the scheme following a unanimous vote at its Planning Committee. The application was subsequently rejected by two different planning committees at South Gloucestershire Council before being taken to appeal by the owners of the Willow Brook Centre.
Alongside the perceived impact on residential amenity, the local authority’s grounds for refusal were that the development was contrary to national planning policy because it “fails to promote the economic, social and environmental character of the area”.
The planning inspector’s seven-page report concludes:
“Whilst I understand the apprehension of local residents, there is no substantive evidence to justify the dismissal of the appeal on the grounds of harm to living conditions or any other grounds that have been raised. For these reasons I conclude that the appeal should be allowed.”
We’ll have more information about the decision and feedback from interested parties in our February magazine, delivered 1st/2nd February.
More information and related links:
- Planning application PT18/1491/O
- Planning inspector’s report
- Archive of BSJ articles about this planning application
For the latest information on this project, visit the Journal’s Planning Applications of Note webpage.
Discussion about this article on the BSJ Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BradleyStokeJournal/posts/2850477741669050
Anything that brings people to spend at the centre must benefit the centre surely
Totally un needed! There is two at cribbs, one in Filton, one in longwell green, there are four Macdonald’s one KFC and and one burger king within 5miles of willow brook center
we speak of how people need to stop eating junk food and Macdonald’s is at the top of the list, money and corruption at its finest,
If this is our town centre how about a bank! Or a local grant for independent businesses not big corporations that drain the life from the high street and our community!!!!!