Supermarket plan for former petrol station revealed

Tesco is set to open a new Express store on part of the site of the former Texaco garage in Portland Road, Wyke Regis.

The garage had been operated by Broadwey Motors and an outline planning application was approved by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council in 2016 to covert the site into two stores with the existing forecourt becoming a parking area.

At the time of the closure of the Broadwey garage, owner Lewis Mansfield said that the close proximity of supermarket petrol stations at Sainsbury’s and Morrisons had put “pressure” on smaller businesses.

However, the new proposals would see upto 32 people employed at the site with the Tesco store expected to employ between 15 and 20 people.

In a planning application which has been submitted to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, Tesco said: “The Express format is a retail convenience store intended as a local facility of a kind that can be distributed throughout urban areas.  

“There is currently a wide range of uses within the locality and Portland Road serves as a local centre and features a wide variety of community and commercial uses.

“The proposal seeks to incorporate high-quality shop‐front design features which positively respond to the local area implementing modern design features and materials which reflect the building’s proportions and design.”

They added that the new shop front would consist of glazed windows and doors with grey aluminium door and window frames to compliment the brick finish of the host building and would not appear unduly prominent in the street scene.  

Tesco concluded by saying that the plans would not only improve the general appearance of the new development but would assist in enhancing the general appearance of the surrounding area and increasing the building’s commercial viability.  

It is not yet known who will occupy the other unit on the site. Weymouth and Portland Borough Council will determine the plans later this year.