Developing a new retail site
DATE: 2026 | LOCATION: YORKSHIRE | PROJECT AREA: DEVELOPMENTS | PROJECT STATUS: COMPLETE
When an independent chain of convenience stores wanted to create a new flagship store on a busy road in a market town, they asked us to manage the development process.
The brief
Sewell on the go has 12 convenience store and petrol station sites across Hull and East Yorkshire. They have a small store in the town of Beverley, but wanted to create a new, flagship store on an unoccupied plot in another part of town which had formerly housed a now-closed car dealership.
The new store will include a modern convenience store, petrol forecourt, and EV charging station, as well as a car wash and valeting facilities. It will be larger, more modern and more energy efficient than the current store, which is in a quieter part of the town.
The site was on a busy road opposite residential houses, so planning permission faced some challenges. We were asked to support the retailer with developing the store design and gaining planning permission for the new development.
The solution
Our first task was to appoint a design team, and arrange and chair a series of meetings with the architects, designers and other estates professionals. We coordinated the design up to a stage where it was ready to submit a planning application.
We went through two separate pre-planning applications, managing and organising the relevant surveys and reports needed for the site, and putting together the planning documents, before then submitting a full planning application.
We also coordinated the planning process from a financial point of view, looking after cost management for the process, budgeting, tracking invoices, creating financial projections and ensuring the retailer’s board was kept informed and involved at all points.
The challenges
The planning permission process had two main challenges to overcome. The first was a highways issue. The site needed a new access road to allow tankers and delivery lorries to get onto the site. However, the local authority highways team discourage new access roads onto the busy road. We were able to work with the highways team to modify our plan, reaching a compromise which would allow development of the site but maintain road safety and traffic flow.
There were also a small number of trees at the front of the site which were under tree protection orders (TPOs), but needed to be removed to create access for the development. We commissioned a tree expert to inspect the site, who found the trees were diseased and had a short anticipated lifespan, and were likely to need felling in the near future for safety reasons.
Stakeholder engagement
Stakeholder engagement was critical for this project, as it was crucial for planning permission that the development was supported by the local community.
We had multiple in-person meetings with local ward councillors throughout the planning process, updating them on the plans, allowing them to shape the development and ensuring that they were happy with the benefits to the community that the development would bring.
Early public engagement at design phase
We also held public consultation events, ensuring we proactively engaged with local residents and the site neighbours, so that they had the facts about the development, rather than receiving incorrect information through word of mouth.
We also involved the local police and community safety partnership at the design stage. The surrounding area of the new development has high levels of anti-social behaviour, so we integrated the police’s suggestions into the design of the development to minimise the risk of anti-social behaviour taking place on site.
The result
After we entered into a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) with the local authority, which allowed us to set out timescales and have an open dialogue with planning officers, full planning permission was granted for the store early in 2026.
We are now project managing the development phase of the store, which is expected to open in 2026.
“Working with the Sewell Advisory team on this project has been really good. My day job is as a retailer, and not dealing with the likes of planners, highways and tree consultants. It was great to have the expertise and knowledge available to help us navigate some quite challenging issues.
100%, I would ask for their input again on the next project."
Securing funding for an infrastructure project
Interested in how we can help get your project off the ground? Find out how we supported Yorkshire Ambulance Service secure capital investment for a new ambulance station.
