Fill up on fuel and coffee?
Big plans submitted
Plans for a new 24-hour petrol filling station and drivethrough coffee shop near Raploch have been submitted to Stirling Council planners.
Euro Garages Ltd want to develop a site north of the A84 at junction 10 of the M9 on land at Kildean Business Park, near the Highland Gate pub and restaurant.
The company operate more than 180 filling station sites across the country and also have a franchise to provide coffee shops on some of their sites.
In documents submitted to the planners, consultants Jones Lang LaSalle said: “The coffee shop is a standalone building as is required by the franchises. It is very different from cafe and restaurant uses located in the city centre as it is specifically targeted toward passing motorists and offers an alternative ancillary coffee offer to motorists stopping to refuel but not necessarily wishing to stop for any length of time.
“Clearly this form of building could not reasonably be located in a town centre as it is aimed directly at motorists and provides dedicated service hatches and access roads.
“Additionally, the service station use and associated facilities will act in attracting passing motorists off the motorway network with the potential to draw people into the city centre.”
The petrol station will feature 15 parking spaces (including two disabled spaces) and 28 parking spaces are proposed for the drive through coffee shop (including two disabled). There will also be stands for four bicycles between the two operations and an internal pedestrian route running through the middle of the site.
The application site covers 0.84 hectares (2.09 acres) and is next to the access to the 39-acres business park. Its masterplan includes a variety of office buildings ranging in size from small business units to bespoke large headquarters.
Invest in Stirling and the Stirling Development Agency are overseeing the wider site, phase one of which received planning permission in 2009 with subsequent approvals for restaurant and hotel accommodation in recent years. To the north east of the proposed filling station there is an area of new building housing and nearby the Highland Gate restaurant.
The consultants say views to the filling station and coffee shop site are “generally limited and well screened” including views back towards the city from the M9.
They added: “The development will provide a complementary use which can serve the customers and workers of the Castle Business Park and Forth Valley College. The provision of food, drink, petrol and roadside services within close proximity to the business park, will encourage new occupiers to the Kildean area and therefore promote the ambitions of the Kildean Development Framework.
“The proposed development would represent a significant investment in the local economy, provide local employment, draw passing trade off the new junction 4A of the M9 motorway, increase vitality of the area and support the wider Kildean Business Park, and respect and enhance the surrounding area and secure the use of a brownfield site.”