Motorway service area planned for M55 near Preston

Plans have been lodged to build a new motorway service station in Preston.

A site alongside junction 2 of the M55 in Woodplumpton has been proposed for the new stop-off point.

If it gets the green light, the facility would become the only one within the city’s boundaries and the first on the Preston-to-Blackpool motorway route.

The new service station would stand at the northern end of Edith Rigby Way, which – along with the junction 2 turn-off for Preston West – opened 18 months ago and connects the M55 to the A583 Blackpool Road.

It is estimated that the 24-hour operation would create 120 jobs once up and running and would be accessed via a second roundabout to be created at the motorway exit – making it available to both east and westbound traffic.

Moto – the operator behind the blueprint – has submitted outline plans to Preston City Council for a development that would include a main ‘amenity building’, offering hot and cold food and other essential items, along with toilets, shower facilities and a children’s play area.

An eight-pump fuel forecourt is planned for cars and vans, with a separate filling-up area for HGVs and coaches.

A total of 391 parking spaces are proposed for cars – 50 of which will come with electric vehicle charging points.  However, in documents submitted to town hall planners, the firm stresses that the site would be “future-proofed” to ensure all parking bays could be converted into charging areas as electric vehicle usage grows.

Space is also proposed for 12 caravans, seven coaches and 71 HGVs – with overnight rest areas for lorry drivers said to be operating significantly over-capacity at the Lancaster M6 services, which area also operated by Moto.

The plans were first mooted more than a year ago when the company asked the city council whether it would need to carry out an environmental impact assessment for the project on what is currently a largely agricultural site.

The authority decided that that exercise would not be necessary and Moto has since set out how it plans to enhance the biodiversity of the countryside plot by expanding the official site area so that it spans almost 14 hectares – the outer four hectares of which will be reserved for enhancing habitats, including by creating new areas of planting.

The company says it will retain trees, hedges and ponds ”where possible” and also plans to partially cover the main building – and the filling station shop – with a so-called ‘green roof’.

A design and access statement accompanying the application states that development would be visible only to those within its “immediate surroundings” and that there are no “elevated” locations that would result in it being seen from a long distance away.

The document adds:  “Every effort has been made to address all relevant issues,with the aim of delivering a state-of-the-art facility while minimising, as far as possible, its impact on the surrounding countryside.”

The site would be accessible on foot, via existing public footpaths, for any local employees in the surrounding Woodplumpton, Lower Bartle, Higher Bartle, Swillbrook and Blackleach areas.

Jess Lockwood, Property Director at Moto, said of the firm’s proposal:  “Our commitment to sustainability, road safety and job creation means this project will deliver real benefits to the local community.

“We are proud to submit this application for an industry-leading motorway service area that reflects the needs of motorists and the priorities of the Preston community. We look forward to working closely with local stakeholders as the application progresses.”