Plans submitted for drive-thru takeaway and vehicle charging station in Borrowash

Plans for an A52 drive-through takeaway and electric vehicle charging hub have been submitted for a Derbyshire village.

The project, from Zest Eco, would see a drive-through hot food takeaway and a 24-space electric vehicle charging hub built off Victoria Avenue in Borrowash, alongside the A52.

If approved by Erewash Borough Council in the next few months, the facilities would sit on the boundary between Ockbrook and Borrowash, less than a mile east of Derby.

Meanwhile, this application comes a month after a project for two fast food takeaways were rejected by a Government inspector at Bostocks Lane, next to the M1/A52 Sandiacre Interchange, three miles to the east.

In that scheme, inspector J Somers flagged that councils can reject fast-food takeaways within walking distance of schools or places where young people congregate – where the sites are also out of town centres.

The Sandiacre scheme was to see a fast-food facility built 500 metres from Friesland School.

Plans for the Ockbrook facility show the planned facility would sit 400 metres from Ashbrook Infant & Nursery School and Ashbrook Junior School in Borrowash, 560 metres from Ridings Pre-School in Ockbrook and 770 metres from Redhill Primary School in Ockbrook.

The current site off Victoria Avenue is entirely encircled by roads and is host to a dilapidated building, tarmac and a number of large trees and grass.

Zest Eco highlights in its application that it would be happy to accept a condition limiting the takeaway to no sit-down restaurant capabilities, ensuring that it exists only to complement the electric vehicle charging operations.

It says one of the main reasons for another business alongside the parking was to provide toilets.

The firm wrote: “The lack of accessible toilet provision at standalone charging locations is a known issue that can cause discomfort and inconvenience for users, and in some cases may lead to inappropriate use of surrounding land or vegetation.”

It claims Ockbrook is currently a known “cold spot” for electric vehicle charging points with ZapMap – which charts charging points – showing none in Ockbrook or Borrowash.

Zest Eco claims there are currently 47 charging points in Erewash, representing 41.6 per 100,000 people, which is below half the national average (108.5).

It says: “This highlights a clear infrastructure gap in the local area, which may deter electric vehicle adoption and limit progress towards decarbonisation goals.

“This spatial evidence reinforces the need for targeted infrastructure investment in this area. “By introducing 14 publicly accessible rapid charging bays, the development would fill a critical gap in the local electric vehicle network, improving regional coverage and supporting equitable access to sustainable transport infrastructure across Erewash.

“Since becoming vacant, the site has experienced a range of social issues including fly-tipping, vandalism, and reported break-ins to the building.

“This proposal provides the opportunity to meet targets for greenhouse gas reduction from road transport, improving air quality standards and increasing the use for alternative fuels by road users.

“It is hoped that with the provision of additional infrastructure on the highway network, the uptake of electric vehicles will continue to increase with the associated environmental benefits.”