Forecourt and convenience retailer Circle K is opposing plans by rival service station operator Applegreen to construct a service area and Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging hub off the M3 motorway in Co Meath.
The Applegreen proposal is to comprise 36 EV charging stations, fuel pumps, a shop, two food outlets including a drive-thru with seating for 166 customers on a site near Junction 6 on the M3 motorway - 1km from Dunshaughlin town centre in Co Meath.
In the proposal, the Petrogas Group is seeking to add to the 194 Applegreen service areas it operates nationally, including nine Motorway Service Areas (MSAs).
Planning consultant for Applegreen owner Petrogas Group, Declan Brassil + Co, contends that "due to its limited scale and offering, and its location remote from the town centre, the proposed development will not undermine the retailing role and function of Dunshaughlin".
Mr Brassil points out that service area policy has stated that a service area should be provided on the M3 between Junction 4 and 7.
He has told the Council that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) commenced consultation in respect of an M3 service area but there has been no progress since August 2017, which has left the M3 without necessary services.
Applegreen was previously refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanala for a MSA at the location.
Mr Brassil said that the new scheme is reduced and the reasons for refusal for the previous application have been addressed in the new plan.
However, planning consultants for Circle K, Coakley O'Neill Town Planning, state that the application should be refused.
Circle K today operates 410 service station sites across the island including one at Ballymurphy, Dunshaughlin.
Dave Coakley told the council that the zoning of the Applegreen site was advanced by members of Meath Co Council following a submission by Applegreen.
Mr Coakley stated that the zoning was strongly opposed by the CEO of Meath County Council, the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).
He said that even a cursory review of the site demonstrates how incongruous and inconsistent the site is for a motorway service area.
Mr Coakley contended that the scheme constitutes a MSA in an area that has not been designated for a development of that nature.
He argued that submitting a slightly modified proposal to the one that was refused does not address the reasons for refusal in a substantial way.
"While no mention is made of future expansion, it is evident to us that the proposal will become a destination in its own right and be of a substantial size and nature so as it undermines the vitality of the town centre," he said.
Mr Coakley stated that on this basis, it is submitted that the proposed development would seriously impact the vitality and vibrancy of Dunshaughlin town centre.
The Council is due to make a decision on the application next month.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
