Councillors have refused plans to demolish a High Peak public house and replace it with a new petrol station and drive thru coffee shop. 

The application for the site off Foresters Way in Chapel-en-le-Frith would have been for 24-hour operations and could potentially have created 45 new jobs. 

Members of High Peak Borough Council’s Development Control Committee went against the officer’s recommendation to reject the plans in vote of seven to four. 

During the debate at Monday's meeting in Buxton, councillors had raised concerns about the environmental impact of the development at the Fickle Mermaid pub site. 

From a climate change perspective, many felt the plans didn’t meet a lot of the criteria in the local plan, including the loss of a relatively new building which is less than 15 years old. 

The lack of parking proposed meant the application did not meet the council’s policy, with just four car parking spaces and two disabled car parking spaces proposed at the petrol station that would also be a convenience store. 

Further concerns were raised about the loss of a community facility. 

A total of 54 representations had been made objecting to the plans on various grounds including traffic, fears it will not benefit the community as there are enough cafes and shops elsewhere and concerns over litter and noise. 

Nine comments were made in support of the application, welcoming the proposals. 

Chapel Parish Council also commented on increased traffic, the speed of traffic, litter, and light pollution. 

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