A scheme to create an electric vehicle (EV) charging hub, picnic area and drive-thru restaurant on Green Belt land along a busy commuter route have been turned down.
Daily Focus reported earlier this year that the proposed development on land opposite the George and Dragon pub on the A34 Stone Road in Meaford, near Stone, could create around 50 jobs.
George Developments Limited applied to Stafford Borough Council for permission for 31 dedicated electric charging bays, canopies with solar panels on the roof, a picnic area and a 438 sq m drive-thru restaurant with inside and outside seating and 34 parking spaces.
But the application has been refused by planners for a number of reasons.
The decision notice reads: “The requirement for an EV charging hub of the scale proposed in this green belt location, as local transport infrastructure, has not been adequately demonstrated.”
It also states that the proposal constitutes ‘inappropriate development’ in the North Staffordshire Green Belt, that the plans fail to demonstrate how the site can be safely accessed by sustainable travel and says insufficient evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that adequate car parking provision would be provided for the drive-thru restaurant.
It adds: “The proposal would result in a significant urban encroachment into a continuous green space which has an inherently rural character and appearance when viewed from the A34.”
In the planning application, George Developments Limited said there is a “notable shortfall” in the provision of ultra-rapid charging infrastructure along the A34 and the M6 and that nearby provisions “cannot meet the growing demand for much more efficient charging infrastructure from the growing number of EV users.”
It also said the proposed drive-thru restaurant would provide “abundant job opportunities and services for the local population and motorists on the nearby strategic transport network.”
