South Pelaw fuel station approved over 200 neighbour objections
- Published
The fuel station will stand on the site of the former Falcon pub
Plans for a petrol station have been approved despite more than 200 objections from neighbours.
Opponents said the station - on the site of the former Falcon pub, Hilda Park, South Pelaw, Chester-le-Street - would blight homes with petrol smells and vehicle noise.
Applicant Ali Rezaei said his plan "perfectly fits the area" which had shops and a garage which used to be a fuel station.
Durham County Council approved it.
One objector, Daniel Smith, said it would spoil the "forever home" he and his wife had saved for years to buy, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
"I'd be no longer able to entertain on a summer's evening without the lingering smell of petrol in my garden," he told the council's north planning committee.
"I would no longer be able to hang my washing out, open my windows, without me and the residents being subjected to the fuel vapour in the air," he said, adding: "Would you be happy with this?"
The site neighbours a housing estate
Councillor Carl Marshall said he "certainly wouldn't want to live" next to a petrol station but he was "struggling with it" as there were no planning reasons for rejecting the scheme.
He abstained from the vote while other councillors voted to approve the plan.
The plan received 209 objections and was opposed by MP Kevan Jones who said it would undermine council objectives to move to a low-carbon economy and support renewable energy.
Councillor Tracie Smith said it would have an "overbearing" and "oppressive" impact on the community and disruption 15 hours a day.
"Can you imagine it? Sitting in your back garden with all of this going on. Absolutely abhorrent," she added.
Environmental health officers from the council did not object to the scheme.
Planning officers found it was acceptable with careful regulation in place and "positioned to reduce the effect on neighbours", with no issues to justify refusal.
Councillor Patricia Jopling said she lived near a petrol station for 15 years and there was "never a problem with pollution or very much noise".
"I think it'll be an asset to the people that live there," she added.
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