Westhill Costco petrol station plans approved - as firm rubbishes traffic concerns
Costco have been given the green light to build a petrol station next to the Westhill store.
The retail giant's plans have been approved by Aberdeenshire Council – meaning it will be their first fuelling station in the north-east, with the nearest one now in Edinburgh.
The site will have 12 petrol pumps, alongside a host of electric vehicle charging points.
Fears had been raised over traffic concerns at the already-busy Kingshill Commercial Park.
But the American firm had experts on hand to dispel any fears of clogged up roads.
The new filling station will take shape near its megastore at the Arnhall Business Park in Westhill.
It would be built on Endeavour Drive, just a stone's throw from the one at Tesco.
All Costco petrol stations are entirely self-service, and don't have the trademark convenience store attached.
The filling stations are available only to Costco members, who need to pay £33.60 per year to take advantage of the bargain bulk deals in store.
Prior to Wednesday's Garioch area committee meeting, fears had been raised over the potential increase in traffic the petrol station could cause.
Westhill and Elrick Community Council argued: 'The traffic around this area is always busy at peak times in the morning, evenings and lunchtime.
'If a pedestrian crossing was installed it would allow pedestrians to cross the
road in safety and also act as a method of slowing down the traffic.'
But despite these fears, Costco bosses had the facts at hand to prove that their new petrol station would have little effect on congestion.
Stuart Davies, the firm's traffic expert, told the meeting that most of the people who used the store's petrol stations in Glasgow and Edinburgh were already visiting the shop anyway.
Mr Davies said: 'From membership card data at other Costco locations, we know that almost half of fuel transactions are made by members who are already visiting the warehouse as part of the same journey.
'Consequently, many of the visitors who will purchase fuel in Westhill will already be on the roads at the Kingshill Commercial Park.'
In the end, councillors approved the plans – and you can view the full proposals here.
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