Retrospective permission is being sought for a lorry park that also provides parking for football fans on Stoke City match days.

A food vending machine building on the site at Campbell Road, which provides 24-hour access to food for drivers, could also be converted into a café if the plans are passed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Planning permission has previously been granted for office buildings on the site and an application for a lorry park haulage depot was submitted in 2020. But the highway authority objected because of concerns about the ability of lorries to access the site due to inability to control car parking on a private road to the west of the site, and the application was withdrawn later that year.

A planning statement submitted as part of the latest application said: "During the time that the (2020) planning application was submitted, this private road experienced unauthorised parking along this access road in relation to staff working for nearby premises. This was despite double yellow lines being painted on the road to dissuade this from happening.

A vending machine could also be converted into a café if plans are approved (Image via planning application).

"Despite the applicant's transport consultant demonstrating that the proposal would be technically sound in respect of highway safety, the Highway Authority refused to change their position. The applicant proceeded to utilise the site for a lorry park haulage depot, albeit in a different layout to what was previously proposed.

"This site has been in operation since October 2020, providing 49 HGV spaces to serve both the applicant's own fleet of HGVs as well as for other lorry drivers to use. The site also accommodates various buildings on site which comprise a maintenance building, lorry wash, office / staff welfare facilities and food vending machine building.

"Since the use has been in operation the applicant has experienced no highway issues, most notably in respect of the use of the private access road. It is evident when visiting the site today that the unauthorised parking along this private road is now essentially non-existent.

"This is perhaps partly because of a previous adjacent company relocating – relieving the pressure on car parking around Campbell Road – but more importantly and directly influenced by the applicant, is the fact that the applicant now provides a facility for on-site car parking for employees of nearby premises within the surplus area of their site. It is considered that this development brings forward substantial benefits in terms of highway betterment as well as providing matchday parking to serve Stoke City Football Club."

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