Fears new M4 service station could become ‘destination in its own right’
Plans for a new motorway service station at junction 37 for Bridgend have been submitted
20:50, 13 Jun 2025
Junction 37 Of The M4 where the site could be built(Image: Google Maps)
Proposals to build a new motorway service station on the M4 at Bridgend's junction 37 have been submitted to the county borough council. The plans from the Draycott Group are for a development on land off the M4[1], close to the Pyle interchange at junction 37, with a potential new access road also built off the northern carriageway of the A4229.
If approved by council bosses, it could eventually see the development of a petrol station, electric vehicle charging points, and three drive-through restaurants.
These could include a McDonald's, Starbucks and Greggs, along with associated seating areas and toilet facilities.
The plans also say these would occupy separate, individually designed buildings with dedicated parking facilities on the site.
The service area would be near to several large residential areas including the villages of North Cornelly, Pyle, and Kenfig Hill.
WalesOnline's campaign for fair funding
For generations, Wales' rail network has been starved of investment. We've been left with a rail network that is outdated and not fit for the nation's needs.
There is no good reason why more money should be spent per resident in England on rail infrastructure than in Wales.
We have far less electrified track than England and fewer modern services.
We've been campaigning since the start of the year to raise awareness of the two massive opportunities Keir Starmer's government has this year to act. We wanted to put pressure on politicians to do something about it.
You can help put pressure on him to do use this historic opportunity by signing WalesOnline's petition on the UK government website calling for fair rail funding for Wales[2]. Very simply, we want people in England and Wales to be treated the same when it comes to rail.
We've now had the results of the first of those two massive opportunities.
Thanks to the pressure from the Welsh Government, Welsh Labour MPs, opposition parties and ourselves, Rachel Reeves has promised Wales nearly half a billion pounds for rail[3].
There are arguments over whether this in itself is enough, what it will be spent on and what time period it is being spent over. But it is undeniably good news that work can start on some much needed projects. These include five new train stations on the south Wales mainline[4].
Later on in the year, Mr Starmer's government is planning a major bit of rail legislation that will be a once-in-a-generation chance to put in place a mechanism to guarantee fairness in perpetuity.
There are arguments about how this should be done but widespread agreement that things must change.
One academic told WalesOnline the Wales always comes at the bottom of the pile[6] and will continue to unless there is full devolution.
Another told us there was no appetite in either Cardiff Bay or Westminster for devolution and this lack of ambition was repeating the biggest mistake the Welsh Government had ever made[7].
There are fears that unless there is full devolution, Wales will suffer every time the UK government cuts spending but protects major projects in England, as is happening right now[8].
However the Welsh Government believes fair funding can be delivered without full devolution, which is does not want.
And the head of a passenger body told us he didn't care who got the money as long as they did a good job with it, adding more cash could make a huge difference[9].
The proposals add that a total of 125 people could eventually be employed at the site, equating to 78 full-time equivalent jobs which are described as being "particularly attractive" to a younger age group.
The full application came after a formal pre-application which was carried out with the local planning authority in 2022, though this acknowledged the proposal "did not draw a positive response from the council".
The report said: "The council considered that further justification would be required to demonstrate that there was an 'overriding need' for this type of development in this specific countryside location."
There were additional concerns the site could draw people away from the Porthcawl[10] area, increasing car journeys, and becoming a "destination in its own right".
However, further planning justification by developers argued motorway-related developments are "inevitably located in countryside, away from town centres", as they cannot be sited elsewhere by definition.
The closest service areas to the proposed Pyle site are at Sarn to the east and Swansea[11] West to the west, with the two being about 25 miles apart.
Once up and running, the services would be open on a 24-hour basis and for 365 days a year. For the latest Bridgend news sign up to our newsletter here[12].
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