The plan for a ‘Tebay-style’ motorway service station causing a huge row

Plans for a 'Tebay-style' motorway service station for the M56 - to be built on green belt land - are hanging in the balance. Cheshire East council's planning committee gave the proposal for the service area, similar to the revered Tebay stopping point on the M6 in Cumbria between junctions 7 and 8 of the M56 next to Tatton Park, the green light in October last year - in the face of 150 objections from residents and local groups groups. The site is on the border between Cheshire East and Trafford[1], whose planning committee had already voiced its disapproval of the scheme.

Cheshire East's decision angered campaigners, who say they have not given up hope for preventing the scheme from going ahead. Planning law stipulates that because the development is on green belt land, the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities (DLUHC), Michael Gove, will get the final say. The 'informal' campaign group has written to Mr Gove appealing to him to 'call in' the decision, but he is yet to adjudicate on whether the site is a sufficient 'special circumstance' to waive the land's green belt status.

One of the most vocal campaigners, Bill Dixon, has now repeated his plea to Mr Gove to intervene 'as quickly as possible'. He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that if Mr Gove will not call in the planning application for his own consideration, residents will fundraise to get legal representation for a judicial review. "The consequence of this is an unnecessary and damaging development with the loss of valuable green belt and considerable safety, congestion and local economic impact," he said.

Mr Dixon said one of the thrusts of objectors' argument is that the service station will be a 'destination attraction' and not a stopping point for motorists to rest. That, he says, will damage businesses in bustling communities of Altrincham[3], Hale[4] and Sale[5].

His letter quotes government policy which states: "Roadside facilities should be well-designed to serve passing traffic and not be destinations in their own right." Mr Dixon added: "This application is a joint venture which will provide a Westmorland Farm Shop, so it is clearly - and unashamedly promoted as - a 'destination in its own right'." He also argues that the analysis of the need for a service station - known as 'gap analysis' - used to justify the planning application was flawed when it was presented to the Cheshire East planning committee.

Government guidelines suggest that there should be a service station approximately for every 28 miles of motorway. "There is the strange exclusion of services for the M6 and M56 within seven miles of the proposed development - the Poplar 2000 Truck Stop ['Lymm Truck Stop']," he added. "Technically this is not yet a motorway service area, but it is nonetheless used by cars as well as commercial vehicles and the operator currently has plans - which I understand has Highways Agency consent - to upgrade the facility to a full service area."

Mr Dixon told the LDRS: "We are not giving up our fight. This service station is wrong and, in my view, underlines the unfairness of the planning system." The bid to build 'Tatton Services', with an emphasis on farm produce and locally produced goodies like home-produced pies, has been hatched by the family-owned Westmorland group alongside Tatton Park-based businessman Henry Brooks under the guise of Tatton Services Limited.

A spokesperson for the DLUHC said that on November 16 2023 a 'holding direction' was issued on behalf of Mr Gove preventing Cheshire East council from granting planning permission for the application following receipt of requests to call it in. "The application is being assessed against published policy on calling in applications, and a decision will be issued in due course," they said.

"Policy has advised against committing to a timetable for a decision.

Controversial applications are often reviewed and amended, so a five-month wait is not an unusual timeframe."

References

1. ^ Trafford (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
2. ^ Mum bagged up son's clothes and handed knife he used to stab man straight to police (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
3. ^ Altrincham (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
4. ^ Hale (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
5. ^ Sale (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)