Petrol station plan 'ludicrous and stupid'

Bethany Wood and Helen Fisher say if plans are approved there will be a higher chance of flooding

Plans to build a petrol station and coffee shop on land at risk of flooding have been slammed as "ludicrous and stupid" by residents.

Retail operator EG On The Move wants to build on the site next to Lidl in Warwick Road, Carlisle.

People living in the area say the proposals will be a "nightmare scenario" for potential flooding and traffic congestion.

The development, submitted to Cumberland Council, would serve motorists along Warwick Road, rather than drawing trade from the city centre, the applicant said.

The plans are located within the Hadrian's Wall World Heritage Site buffer zone and a flood risk zone, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) (LDRS).

Banners opposing the plans have been placed at Botcherby Community Centre on nearby Victoria Road.

Centre manager Helen Fisher described the plans as "appalling".

"That junction, at the end of Victoria Road, it's already choked with the addition of Lidl being there," she added.

Developers say the site will create jobs during construction and its operation

Leslie Mooney, who lives on Victoria Road, said she felt the application was "ludicrous and stupid" due to "the knock-on effect" it would have within the city.

Fellow resident Bethany Wood, who lives in Botcherby Avenue, said the field was needed to stop flooding.

The 27-year-old said she understood it was a condition that no development could take place on the site when Lidl was approved, because of the potential flood risk.

The applicant has cited the need for the development to be located close to a strategic highway network as essential.

But Michelle Graham, a clinical educator from Victoria Road, said a petrol station was not needed as there was already one "a couple of hundred yards down the road".

Residents Dave and Babs Israel said the "nightmare scenario" plans would "bring nothing but more blight and chaos to our neighbourhood".

According to planning documents seen by the LDRS, the proposed development is expected to support and strengthen its role as a key, strategic allocation, providing convenience facilities and transport infrastructure for its staff, visitors, and residents.

The development is also anticipated to deliver employment opportunities through both its construction and operation.