Major plans for a new motorway service station and hotel close to the Bowdon Roundabout have been formally submitted to Cheshire East Council.
We first revealed plans for the development – which would create 558 jobs during a two-year construction and employ 325 staff – last year.
Tatton Services Ltd – the company behind the award-winning Tebay and Gloucester Services – is looking to build the new service station on a 39-acre Green Belt site previously part-occupied by Yarwood Heath Farm, close to junctions 7 and 8 of the M56.
The document accompanying the planning submission outlines a vision for a “truly sustainable business which is ready to embrace a different future of food, buildings and travel”.
Following a similar concept to Tebay and Gloucester Services, the new service station would include a farm shop and kitchen, a retail area and indoor children’s play area.
There would also be a 100-bedroom hotel, a fuel barn with 12 traditional pumps and 96 electric charging points, a kitchen garden and extensive outdoor seating spaces. The existing farmhouse on the site, currently in a poor condition, will be renovated.
The project is an 80/20 partnership between the Westmorland Family and Tatton Group, the Ashley-based property management company.
It’s predicted that four million customers would visit the facility annually, generating £36million in annual turnover. A total of 688 car parking spaces are proposed, including 33 disabled spaces.
Access will be via Bowdon Roundabout or southern Bowdon roundabout through Yarwoodheath Lane.
An initial public consultation and stakeholder engagement took place last year, with feedback incorporated into the plans.
The planning statement that the buildings involved with the project are “beautiful, grounded, and designed using high-quality and sustainable materials”.
It added: “Careful consideration has been given to how the architectural details can reflect the agricultural context of the site, tie the three buildings together.
“The result is a set of buildings which feel of their place, which are not excessive in their proportions, which efficiently and effectively meet operational requirements, and which at the same time create beautiful spaces for drivers taking a break from the motorway to enjoy.”
The Westmorland Family started Tebay Services in Penrith in 1972 after the M6 was built through the family’s farm.
In 2014 it opened Gloucester Services, winning a Royal Institute of Architects award for its innovative design, which includes a grass roof.
Gloucester Services now attracts over four million visitors a year, bringing in £34m in revenue and employing 470 people.
Cheshire East councillors are hoping to make a decision on the plans by July. The deadline for comments is April 21.
