Major car dealership that closed after more than 60 years to be bulldozed
A MAJOR car dealership is set to be bulldozed after more than 60 years of selling motors if the local council accepts new plans.
Last summer, Bristol Street Motors revealed it would close its Ford Stroud dealership with “no prospect” of adding an alternative brand at the Gloucestershire location.
Plans have now been formally submitted to knock the showroom to the ground.
Since its closure, the site has been left derelict, Car Dealer Magazine reported.
Developers are looking to use the site for “residential uses, along with access, parking, landscaping & associated infrastructure”.
If the plans are approved, it would spell the end of sixty years of motor trading at the site.
Previously called Valley Motors and Coulters, the site even had its own petrol pumps until 2015.
The Consultations and Highways Committee of Stroud Town Council evaluated the application yesterday evening.
A spokesperson for the Town Council said: “Public feedback is highly valued and will play a crucial role in shaping the committee’s response to the planning authority.”
Staff are set to be relocated to retailers in nearby Gloucester and Cheltenham, GloucesterLive reported.
Bristol Street Motors sells 15 car brands at 232 locations across Britain.
A spokesman for the company added: “The decision to close our Bristol Street Motors Ford dealership in Stroud has not been taken lightly.
“There is no prospect of being able to add an alternative franchise to the dealership.”
It comes after the UK’s second-largest car dealership is set to close a major site this summer with more than 100 jobs axed.
Sytner Group represents a range of big-name manufacturers across the nation, including BMW, Jaguar, Bugatti and Maserati.
The South Yorkshire city’s CarShop will pull down the shutters on June 30 after 15 years of business, reports The Doncaster Free Press.
The publication says bosses told staff at the Doncaster branch of the forthcoming closure at a meeting this week.
The huge car supermarket, which first opened its doors in 2009, is being axed as owner Sytner switches focus following a strategic review of its business empire.