PLANS to redevelop a Ballynahinch petrol station have been received by council.
An application for the Belfast Road proposal – which includes the demolition of four houses – was recently lodged by Morrison’s VivoXtra.
A retail impact assessment states that the site is within the town’s settlement limit and that works there would see the ‘extension and upgrade of an existing filling station convenience store’.
‘The proposal consists of an extension of the existing filling station store to provide additional retail sales space and deli, butcher and food preparation space,’ it continues.
‘It involves the enlargement of the site to include the demolition of four adjacent residential properties and the retention of three small units to the rear.
‘Both the off-licence to the rear (Unit 1) and the food preparation floorspace in Unit 3 will be relocated within the new filling station building.
‘The vacated off-licence unit to the rear will be reassigned to hot food use, while Unit 3 will be fully assigned to storage use for the filling station store.’
The document highlights that the gross floorspace of the filling station store will ‘increase by 570 square metres’, whilst its retail sales space will ‘increase by 255 square metres’.
‘This additional net retail floorspace will sell convenience goods, which are mainly groceries and other consumable commodities that are usually purchased locally and on a regular basis,’ it adds.
‘They include food, beverages and non-durable household items.’
The retail impact assessment concludes that there is ‘a qualitative need to extend and revamp this local convenience store, in order to enhance the shopping environment for customers’.
‘The additional floorspace will allow the store to be reconfigured for improved internal circulation, shelving arrangements, lobby space, check-out areas and enhanced access to product lines,’ it reads.
‘Crucially, it will enable the kitchen preparation facilities currently located in Unit 3 to the rear of the site to be transferred within the filling station shop proper, therefore conferring operational efficiencies.’
