Concerns over 24-hour fuelling station near homes

Residents are concerned about being disturbed at night, as well as more traffic in the area

Hundreds of people have shared their concerns about plans to build a 24-hour biofuel station near homes in West Yorkshire.

CNG Fuels Ltd has submitted a planning application to Wakefield Council to transform a former abattoir at Flanshaw Business Park in Alverthorpe.

However, 198 objections have been received over fears of residents being disturbed by the round-the-clock operation.

The firm said it acknowledged people's concerns and was working with council officers to address them.

The planning application said the site would be unmanned and floodlit at night, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

David Pickersgill, councillor for Wakefield North ward, said he had been contacted by residents who are worried about being disturbed at night and concerned about an increase in traffic in the area.

He said: “The figures provided by the operator estimate 147 vehicle movements daily between 8pm and 8am.

“So you are talking about a vehicle turning up every five minutes through the night."

He said he did not think that was "appropriate" so close to a residential area.

He also called for “as many people who may be affected by this to put in their objections by the closing date of 3 June”.

The application has not yet received any comments of support.

One objection said the biomethane fuelling station “would create noise and light pollution and heavy traffic in an area that already struggles, especially at peak times”.

Another objection said: “This proposal is too close to residential housing and would cause 24-hour noise, additional traffic to an already congested area and an environmental impact."

Biomethane is compressed natural gas sourced from waste products including food, animal, and wastewater.

The scheme also includes installing 14 fuel pumps and equipment to draw the gas from the mains network.

Use of the station would be restricted for CNG customers, including logistics and distribution businesses based in Wakefield and Amazon.

CNG said the “proposed site location is considered to be appropriate for this type of land use given its close proximity to existing industrial and distribution facilities and easy access to the M1”.

A spokesperson for the company, which operates 13 fuelling stations across the UK, said they “acknowledge the concerns raised and will continue to work with officers to ensure that the scheme can be successfully brought forward to allow these significant benefits to be delivered”.

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