elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council
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Chapter 10: Development Management Guidelines and Standards<br />
thus may be inappropriate within the traditional town centre. As such facilities are geared towards bulky<br />
shopping such facilities must also be served by adequate car parking.<br />
10.12 LOCAL SHOPS & PETROL FILLING STATIONS (To be read in conjunction with<br />
Chapter 5)<br />
Local shops play an important role in providing for daily top up shopping. They are also often easily<br />
accessible to the elderly and disabled. The development of such <strong>local</strong> shops should be encouraged in the<br />
smaller towns and villages in the counties and also in residential <strong>area</strong>s in the suburbs of the larger estates<br />
in the principal county towns. Such developments should be easily accessible to all sections of society.<br />
Local shops attached to petrol filling stations are a growing sector of the retail market. Such facilities<br />
do play an important role, particularly in serving some of the more isolated rural communities. However,<br />
care should be given to the development of such facilities on the edge of town centres as they may have a<br />
negative impact on established convenience outlets within the town centre. As stated in the Retail<br />
Planning Guidelines, the size (net sales <strong>area</strong>) of such retail units should not exceed 100 sq metres.<br />
New petrol stations and refurbished existing stations will be required to have a high standard of overall<br />
design and architectural layout to ensure an attractive development that integrates with and enhances its<br />
surroundings. The forecourt canopy should be integrated into the overall design and sited so that it does<br />
not dominate the surrounding buildings. Applications must be accompanied by detailed landscaping and<br />
screening proposals, providing details of the type, location and timescale of <strong>plan</strong>ting. Another necessity in<br />
applications is the provision of details of signage and their proposed location. Advertising should not<br />
interfere with visibility lines; be visually intrusive; or, interrupt the continuity of streetscapes.<br />
Petrol filling stations must be located on the outskirts of the town but inside the 50km or 60km speed<br />
limits and the creation of a traffic hazard must be avoided. The preferred location is on the near side of the<br />
roadway on the way out of town. However, the <strong>Council</strong> will seek to avoid the proliferation of such uses<br />
along a stretch of road, or within a particular <strong>area</strong> in a town or village where such development may result<br />
in loss of visual and residential amenity. Applications for motor fuel filling stations will not be supported<br />
by the <strong>Council</strong> where a proposal is likely to lead to an impairment of the visual or residential amenity of<br />
the <strong>area</strong> through intrusive commercial frontage and signage, nuisance, disturbance or excessive traffic<br />
movements.<br />
Where petrol filling stations are proposed in rural <strong>area</strong>s, traffic safety will be of paramount importance.<br />
They would be best placed in villages or in close proximity to other compatible uses such as shops and<br />
post offices etc. The expansion or addition to existing such businesses would be preferable.<br />
A road frontage of at least 21.5 m is required for a new petrol station. The frontage must be kept clear of<br />
any structures (with the exception of the boundary wall) for a depth of not less than 4.5 m from the street<br />
or roadside boundary of the site. No pump, hose pipe or other service may be situated less than 4.5 m from<br />
the street or roadside boundary of the site, nor may it be adapted to serve a vehicle standing on the public<br />
street. Where petrol pumps and other services are sited not less than 9m from the street or roadside<br />
boundary of the site, the street frontage of the station may be reduced to 12m. The station should not have<br />
more than two vehicular openings onto a street. The width of each opening should not exceed 7.5m. The<br />
street or roadside boundary of the station shall be defined, except at openings, by a wall or railing to a<br />
height of not less than 0.5m over the level of the adjoining street. Kerbs and footpaths shall be dished in<br />
accordance with the detailed requirements of the Roads Authority.<br />
The following standards must be observed in relation to the siting of filling stations near a junction:<br />
• where the street width is greater than 15m a vehicle entrance or exit shall not be sited nearer to a<br />
road junction than 33.5m, in the case of a junction with a street 15m in width or over, or 23m in<br />
the case of a junction with a street of between 7.5m and 15m in width;<br />
Elphin Local Area Plan <strong>2009</strong>-<strong>2015</strong> Page 132