Petrol station on busy Wolverhampton road set to be demolished and replaced with bigger version

Fordhouses Service Station in Stafford Road, Wolverhampton, near the M54, is set to be demolished and replaced with a new petrol station after an application was backed by Wolverhampton Council.

The plans by Motor Fuel Group (MFG) include demolishing the existing shop and garage with an “improved and refreshed” building with a “modern” design. Empty buildings on a vacant plot behind the service station in Stafford Road would also be demolished to make way for the new facilities.

The work includes electric vehicle (EV) charging points and jet wash bays. The space for retail, convenience and food outlets would triple from the current size to 320 square metres.

Wolverhampton Council approved similar plans to demolish the ageing petrol station for newer facilities in June 2023 before the most recent application was submitted in April. The council’s planners approved temporary warehouses and storage space on the land behind the petrol station, which will be used for the new service station, for five years in 2015.

The fenced-off vacant land, made up an empty building and mainly hardstanding, has been empty since the temporary permission expired in 2020. The land was previously part of the petrol station.

A statement included with the application said: “The proposed development makes use of both the existing petrol filling station and the commercial site. The existing site represents a typical design and layout for petrol filling station and is clearly fairly aged in to appearance.

“This proposal aims not only to update and upgrade the site facilities with a more efficient layout with the provision of electric vehicle charging points, but also seeks to modernise the design of the buildings and facilities to improve its visual appearance along Stafford Road, reflecting more up-to-date and modern design methods.”