Tebay-style Cheshire service station delayed by govt intervention
Tatton Estates and Westmorland Group, the company behind the popular Tebay service station, will head to inquiry in October to make the case for the 39-acre Green Belt scheme.
Cheshire East Council approved developer Westmorland Group and landowner Tatton Estates’ plans to create a high-end service station on land between Junction 7 and Junction 8 of the M56 last October.
Despite backing from the local authority, secretary of state Michael Gove has opted to call in the project amid pressure from a local campaign group.
The Planning Inspectorate will assess the project at an inquiry beginning on 15 October. The case number for the inquiry is 3345318. The plans can be viewed by searching for reference number 22/0872M on Cheshire East Council’s planning portal.
The Glenn Howells Architects-designed Tatton Services would follow the blueprint set out at Westmorland’s Tebay and Gloucester service stations.
The plans would feature a 68,000 sq ft main amenity building, a 100-bedroom hotel, and a filling station.
A statement from the team behind the scheme thanked Cheshire East Council for its support and bemoaned the Department for Levelling Up, Homes, and Communities’ decision to call in the scheme.
“Whilst we are obviously disappointed by the inevitable delay from central government – taking away the decision from the locally elected leaders who had already approved it – we remain steadfastly committed to the project.
“We will continue to make the case to decision-makers so people can benefit from the local jobs, sustainable growth and vital road safety improvements this project will secure.”
Pegasus Group is the planning consultant for the scheme. The project team also includes FWP, Planit, Ramboll, Ecology Solutions, Jensen Hughes, Lightpad, BWB, and Les Postawa.
Yet again locals getting precious and lack of leadership. This will get waved through eventually. After loads more cost and time.
By Nimbymcnimbyness
Come on lads, at least be honest. This is all about siphoning cash out of Alty, Hale and Bowden not delivering “vital road safety improvements”. Lymm services is a five minute drive away if you’re on the M56! It’s right to call it in.
By Ritchey Logic
A terrific project, but will it ever come to fruition?
By TJL
I can’t imagine huge demand for an actual service station there, however the farm shop will be a destination in itself, and the hotel will do great trade from airport passengers
By Anonymous
Get it built
By Anonymous
Local campaigners have missed the point that if this plan is refused, developers are queuing up to develop the same site for warehousing for nearby Manchester Airport. I suggest the services are a far better option for the location
By John H
I suspect post 5th July a new Government, focussed on growth, will find a way of encouraging this application to be approved.
By Anonymous
Just get it through.
By Tom
This is a decent application that improves walking and cycling provision between Cheshire East and Trafford. The only sticking point for me is that nobody appears willing to build a footbridge across the Bolin, near the development, so that residents, visitors and staff have a traffic-free route into and beyond the site.
By Flixton resident