Petrol station and drive-through café approved at huge new logistics park on major road near Northampton

Proposals for a petrol station and drive-through café beside the A43 near Towcester – on land to the east of Tiffield Road and north-west of the A43 – have been approved.

The development, put forward by IM Properties PLC, will be built at Zone A of Towcester Park, a major employment and industrial site.

The petrol station will have eight pumps for cars and two for heavy goods vehicles, beneath a covered area. Its shop building will also include facilities for selling hot food.

The drive-through café will have its own 148 square metre building.

The development will also provide 31 car parking spaces, including four accessible spaces, nine motorcycle spaces and electric vehicle charging points.

The facilities are intended to serve people working at Towcester Park as well as motorists using the A43, according to plans.

The petrol station and café form part of the wider Towcester Park development, which received planning approval in June 2022.

That original application included plans for an employment park, a new roundabout access from the A43, an internal road, parking, walking and cycling routes and landscaping.

The Towcester Park website describes the wider development as including 45 acres of employment space and 15 acres of green space – equivalent to around 33 full-sized football pitches.

The site is also being marketed as a major industrial and logistics development. Property agent Savills is advertising buildings ranging in size from 50,000 sq ft to 470,000 sq ft.

The wider 34-hectare development is expected to provide an estimated 1,464 full-time jobs when fully operational, according to a council report.

In its supporting statement for the petrol station and café, the applicant said: “Towcester Park represents an important employment opportunity for West Northamptonshire, and will deliver a range of social, economic and environmental benefits to the local area and the wider region.”

However, the plans attracted objections from local residents and parish councils.

Easton Neston Parish Council raised concerns about the effects of a possible 24-hour operation, including noise and light.

Towcester Town Council also objected, supporting the concerns raised by Easton Neston Parish Council.