Wakefield: Concerns about 24-hour filling station near homes

Hundreds of people have shared their concerns about plans to build a 24-hour biofuel station near homes in West Yorkshire.

CNG Fuels Ltd has submitted a planning application to Wakefield Council to convert a former abattoir at Flanshaw Business Park in Alverthorpe.

However, 198 objections were received due to fears that residents would be disturbed by the round-the-clock operation.

The firm said it recognized people’s concerns and was working with council officers to address them.

David Pickersgill, councilor for the Wakefield North ward, said he had been contacted by residents who were worried about being disturbed at night and worried about increased traffic in the area.

He said: “Figures provided by the operator estimate 147 vehicle movements daily between 8pm and 8am.

“So you’re talking about a vehicle appearing every five minutes during the night.”

He said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” so close to a residential area.

He also called for “as many people as possible who may be affected by this to submit their objections by the June 3 deadline.”

The application has not yet received any supportive comments.

One objection said the biomethane fueling station “would create noise and light pollution and heavy traffic in an area that is already experiencing problems, especially during peak hours”.

Another objection said: “This proposal is too close to residential housing and would cause 24-hour noise, additional traffic in an already congested area and impact on the environment.”

Biomethane is compressed natural gas from waste, including food, livestock and sewage.

The scheme also includes the installation of 14 fuel pumps and equipment to extract gas from the supply network.

Use of the station would be restricted to GNC customers, including Wakefield-based logistics and distribution companies and Amazon.

CNG said the “proposed location of the site is considered suitable for this type of land use given its proximity to existing industrial and distribution facilities and easy access to the M1”.

A spokesman for the company, which operates 13 filling stations across the UK, said they “recognise the concerns raised and will continue to work with officers to ensure the scheme can be successfully brought forward to enable these significant benefits to be delivered”.