Planning permission granted to revamp Featherstone petrol station with hot food takeaway and electrical charging points amid concerns over traffic and smell

The proposals include the partial demolition and revamp of the Millpond Petrol Station on Wakefield Road.

But some residents objected to the plans over concerns about traffic and smells.

One person who commented said: “Featherstone is already gridlocked at least twice a day with normal traffic along Wakefield Road, Pontefract Road, Girnhill Lane and Station Lane.

"Any accident or road works that occur often make the problem tenfold worse. It is not unusual to expect to take an hour to drive from one end of Featherstone to the other.”

Another said: “I think the smell would be horrendous and pollute our gardens and homes.

"There would be loads of extra people hanging around our garden gates making it hard to leave our properties and young people hanging around causing trouble, this development is a disaster waiting to happen.”

A third said: “I live on the row of houses facing the side of the garage and whilst I have no problem with improvements being made I strongly object to a hot food takeaway. What kind of hot food?

"I would be concerned about the smell, noise,litter and increase in customers and traffic.

"I would also be concerned about opening times. It’s noisy enough as it is now, would our fairly quiet street become not so quiet with all the extra footfall this would bring?

"There are several takeaways in Station Lane who all deliver, do we really need another?”

The approved plan includes a condition that the hot food takeaway will not operate outside the hours of 11am to 11pm Monday to Sunday, including bank holidays.

A Wakefield Council case officer report stipulates that the development will not take place until details of proposed surface water drainage, including details of any balancing works and off-site works, have been approved.

The report concluded: “The location and scale of the development within the urban area of Featherstone is considered to be acceptable.

"The development would look acceptable in terms of visual amenity and with conditions would not adversely affect existing residents.