Bridge View, Oundle

Evidence-Led Highway Advice for Petrol Filling Station Redevelopment

The Project

DW Transportation was appointed by Tankerford Ltd to provide transport planning and highway advice in support of the redevelopment of an existing petrol filling station at Bridge View, Station Road, Oundle.

The proposals involved the demolition of existing structures, with the exception of the site's Grade II listed building, and redevelopment to provide a new petrol filling station forecourt, underground fuel tanks and canopy. The scheme also included an extension to the listed building to create a sales building, together with jet wash and car wash facilities, parking, landscaping and associated works.

The project involved a lengthy planning process, during which a number of highway matters required detailed consideration and resolution.

The Highway Challenge

During determination of the planning application, the Highway Authority raised concerns regarding the potential intensification of the existing access onto the A427 and requested the provision of a dedicated right-turn lane.

The requirement had the potential to introduce significant additional highway works, with associated implications for the cost and deliverability of the development.

Rather than simply accepting that additional highway infrastructure was necessary, DW Transportation undertook further assessment to establish the actual traffic implications of the proposals and whether the requested mitigation was proportionate.

Our Approach

As the existing site was unoccupied, its historic traffic generation could not be established through a conventional survey of current activity.

DW Transportation therefore developed an evidence base using traffic surveys undertaken at a comparable operational petrol filling station. The results were independently checked against the TRICS database to establish a robust basis for assessing the likely traffic generation of the existing and proposed uses.

A seven-day Automatic Traffic Count was also undertaken on the A427 to establish actual traffic conditions on the surrounding highway network.

This combination of observed traffic data, comparison-site evidence and industry-standard trip generation analysis enabled the likely additional impact of the redevelopment to be quantified and the need for further highway infrastructure to be properly assessed.

Challenging the Need for a Right-Turn Lane

The traffic survey established the actual level of traffic using the A427 and enabled the requested highway improvements to be considered against measured conditions rather than assumptions regarding the function or classification of the road.

The assessment also demonstrated that the additional right-turn demand associated with the redevelopment would be relatively modest.

On the basis of the evidence, DW Transportation concluded that a dedicated right-turn lane was not justified by the anticipated traffic impact of the development.

This provided a robust technical basis for progressing the proposals without the additional highway infrastructure originally requested.

The Outcome

Full planning permission was granted by North Northamptonshire Council in August 2026.

Importantly, the permission did not require the dedicated right-turn lane originally sought by the Highway Authority. Instead, the approved access, parking, turning, loading and unloading arrangements were secured through the planning permission.

Listed Building Consent was also granted for the works involving the site's Grade II listed building, allowing the wider redevelopment proposals to progress.

Why This Project Matters

The Oundle project demonstrates the value of evidence-led transport planning when responding to highway requirements.

Additional highway infrastructure can have significant implications for the cost, design and deliverability of a development. Where improvements are requested, it is therefore important to establish whether they are necessary and proportionate to the actual impact of the proposals.

By combining traffic surveys, comparison-site evidence and professional highway analysis, DW Transportation was able to provide a robust technical case demonstrating that the requested right-turn lane was not warranted.

The successful outcome demonstrates how targeted transport planning advice can help resolve highway concerns, avoid unnecessary infrastructure and support the delivery of development through the planning process.

Need Transport Planning Advice for a Development?

DW Transportation provides practical transport planning and highway advice for development projects throughout the UK, from initial feasibility and site access advice through to planning applications and the resolution of Highway Authority comments.

Contact us to discuss your development.