Used car dealership faces relocation for council's road-building plan

A used car dealership in Plymouth is facing a demolition and rebuild to allow for major road improvements in the city.

Plymouth City Council aims to widen the A386 Tavistock Road after purchasing a strip of land, currently the front forecourt of the Turners of Roborough dealership, which would put the future viability of the business in question.

The loss of the land will require Turners' whole site to be restructured to continue trading, with the building, sales office and canopy being demolished, and a replacement building with the sales office constructed further back into the property.

Its planning application stated: “The loss of the site frontage of the existing car sales business to accommodate the highway improvement project results in the existing car sales business becoming unviable, as has been discussed at length with Plymouth City Council."

Those discussions are continuing whilst this planning application is being considered.

Turners has emphasised to the council that "the replacement building is of similar scale, content and use as the existing facility.

"Essentially the replacement building and car parking display areas are fully reflective of the existing building premises and vehicle display on a like for like business."

However some trees on the property, which are subject to preservation orders, will need to be removed "to provide a commercially viable car sales business in this location", said Turners' planning statement.