Plans for new electric car charging facility at Morrisons in Blackpool submitted to Fylde Council

A planning application for the Morrison Supermarket on Squires Gate Lane/Amy Johnson Way was submitted to Fylde Council last week for the “formation of electric vehicle charging zone within car park including erection of freestanding canopy, four charging stations, substation, lv panel enclosure, meter cabinet and associated works”. The new electric vehicle charging zone would be located at the far back of the car park, immediately adjacent to Squires Gate Lane, and would see a loss of three car parking spaces from 11 to eight, as well as the loss of one tree.

According to the planning documents, the freestanding canopy would be 5.33 metres tall, with a clearance of 4 metres for the vehicles using the four charging stations housed underneath.

The application has been submitted by Motor Fuel Group, who in January were reported to have bought 337 petrol stations from Morrisons and more than 400 associated sites to develop ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs for £2.5 billion.   

At the time, Rami Baitiéh, CEO of Morrisons, said: “As the needs of the customer continue to evolve, Morrisons and MFG’s partnership will see us combine  our respective expertise and resources to deliver the best value for customers at the pump, in our  convenience stores and in our supermarkets. It means Morrisons customers will continue to see a competitive and attractive forecourt offering, including expanded access to EV charging, while also benefitting from greater focus on investment in Morrisons’ core food business. We are delighted to have  such a strong partner in MFG and look forward to the opportunities a combined MFG and Morrisons  forecourt offering will provide.” 

A consulation period for the proposal is currently in place, due to end on April 24.

In their already published consultee responses, a spokesperson from the Highways and Traffic Development said they had no objection to the proposal.

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A spokesperson from Blackpool Council said that whilst they have no objection to the proposal in principle, in accordance with Blackpool’s Tree Strategy and the Greening Blackpool SPD, they would normally require two replacement trees for each tree felled and as this infrastructure would be “very visible from Squires Gate Lane, which is a major route into Blackpool and Fylde”, they believe the landscaping should be “bolstered to provide more screening, perhaps with the introduction of some evergreen species to provide year round cover.”

To view the full planning application click here.

Morrisons has been approached for futher comment following the planning application’s submission.