Demolition work begins on site of new petrol station in Mirfield

The derelict site on the A644 Huddersfield Road had been vacant since the old Swan pub was demolished in 2015. The pub itself had stood empty for four years when it was flattened on safety grounds.

Last year plans were approved to build the petrol station with a kiosk/convenience store, three retail units and car parking spaces.

As part of the approval a house next to the site had to be demolished, and that took place last week. The former pub car park was also being cleared by demolition crews.

The old pub sign, which stood on the roadside, has also gone, removing the last visible remnants of the pub.

This year the applicant successfully applied for a number of planning conditions to be changed or removed.

These included removing restrictions on opening times, allowing the petrol station to open 24 hours a day. The applicant said this was to “improve the viability of the site”.

An objector whose comments were published on the council website said: “Yet another instance of applying for planning permission and then by the drip process getting it changed to what was originally intended.

“If this project was never viable without 24-hour opening, then why did they apply for reduced hours and now seek to amend?

“The answer is obvious. They wanted permission with the least amount of problems which they knew they could add on at a later stage and which would get waved through. An abuse of the method of gaining planning permission.”

There is already an existing Shell petrol station just a few hundred yards round the corner on Huddersfield Road, Ravensthorpe.