Existing Esso site has been demolished
Diggers moved in at the West Hill site over Easter
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The Esso Garage on West Hill, which was demolished over Easter, is to be replaced with a new petrol station and Costa coffee shop.
MFG - the largest independent forecourt operator in the UK which added the Esso brand to its network in 2018 - has planning permission to rebuild the petrol station forecourt and shop as well as add a fully functioning Costa coffee shop outlet with seating.
There will be newly built car wash facilities, petrol pumps and parking spaces.
Land at the back of the site – see the image below - which currently extends over the Tube tunnel, will be used for electric vehicle charging, jet wash bays and a grass area.
The West Hill Esso petrol station before demolition
Previously the green space at the back of the new development has been hidden from public view by fencing behind the old garage site. This has allowed for a wild green area to flourish over the years, as well as accommodating a small contractors’ yard.
New site. Picture: Wandsworth Council Planning Department
The Council has stipulated that a Tree Protection Plan and details of necessary pruning must be included before the space can be developed, so that trees and hedges on the site will be safeguarded in the interests of “visual amenity and the character of the area”.
The green space backs onto several houses and is also clearly visible to pedestrians crossing the Tube Bridge between Keswick Road and Lytton Grove.
Jennings Design, the Yorkshire based garage and parking forecourt plan specialist, has also had to take ecological concerns into account. An ecologist will conduct a site walkover 24 hours prior to commencement of each and every clearance activity to assess stag beetle larvae, mammals, breeding birds or reptiles found to be on site, and also to ensure measures are taken to prevent the entrapment of any creatures.
External lighting installation will need to comply with Bat Conservation Trust requirements to prevent harm to the local bat population.
The now cleared site on West Hill
The development is liable for a Community Infrastructure Levy, which means a charge can be imposed by the Council on the new development, which in turn aids the local authority in supplying necessary facilities for the borough.
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April 27, 2021