December 1, 2022 7.30 pm This story is over 18 months old

Lincolnshire Showground petrol station and drive-thru plans approved

One councillor did not think they were “prestige” enough
An aerial shot showing how the petrol station would look.

Plans for a new petrol station with two drive-thru units next to the Lincolnshire Showground have been given the go ahead.

West Lindsey District Council’s planning committee on Wednesday voted eight to four in favour of the application from Aziz Patel, of Brookfield Property Holdings, and the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.

The new station, to be built off the roundabout joining the A15 and Tilbridge Lane (A1500), will include around 500sqm of retail space and an electric vehicle charging hub with eight rapid charging points.

At least one of the drive-thru units would be a coffee shop. Roof solar panels would also generate around 52kWp of renewable energy while the charging hub will initially include eight charging points and five waiting bays.

The planning statement submitted to WLDC said the proposals could create up to 68 jobs.

Jane Hills, past chairman of the Showground, told the committee Lincolnshire Showground was one of a decreasing number of “prestige” showgrounds with others facing closure due to rising costs.

However, she said the facility was “at a disadvantage” due to the distance to the nearest food and fuel facilities, noting others had services either on-site or within a mile.

“We rely on the income from [events] because it costs us over a million pounds to stage the two day show and maintain the showground in a fit state for that show,” she told members.

“We also hope that the provision of these services will then encourage a hotel developer to the site, a long held ambition for us, and I believe yourself at the council, to further boost visitor numbers.”

A masterplan for the new petrol station and drive-thru facilities.

Many councillors were in favour of the plans and a number of letters of support had been received by the authority.

Councillor Judy Rainsforth said: “I can’t see anything wrong with this. We have a beautiful showground, we wish to encourage people to come and use it and if they can get petrol and can charge their cars that is going to be an added bonus.”

However, not everyone was impressed and the plans have come under criticism from Riseholme Parish Council, who said it is not a “sustainable development”, saying that there is “no shortage of fast food and petrol station options” on the route into Lincoln city centre.

Concerns during the meeting mostly revolved around the impact on traffic of vehicles entering or leaving the services. Some suggested the entrance should be moved further down, while others suggested it would be more suitable on the A15 rather than on Tillbridge Lane.

Committee member Councillor Jeff Summers said he did not believe the development displayed the “prestige” of the rest of the showground.

“Is this an appropriate location for such facility? I mean we have a beautiful Showgrounds setting there it’s green, verdant, it’s an agricultural site.

“It’s got the Epic Centre, which is a wonderful facility, and the Agricultural College on the side. It has an agricultural theme. This isn’t agriculture, and it just doesn’t fit.”

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