Plans in for Kirby Hill service station

A planning application for a major motorway service station with space for 364 cars on land in North Yorkshire has been submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.The £50m development, led by Applegreen plc, will create the ‘Vale of York Motorway Service Area’ adjacent to the A1(M), A168 and B6265 between Wetherby service area and Leeming Bar rest stop.The plan for the 42-acre site between junctions 48 and 49 is to reduce the gap between Wetherby and Durham Services.The development would include a 50,000 sq ft amenity building containing hot and cold food outlets, a shop, toilets, shower and seating areas.To the east of the amenity building, the scheme would incorporate a fuel filling station with 20 filling points for cars, vans and small commercial vehicles as well as a separate stand-alone station with six filling points for HGVs and coaches.Also included is a separate stand-alone drive-thru coffee shop; parking for 364 cars (including spaces for disabled users), 90 HGVs, 18 coaches, 11 caravans, and 11 motorcycles.Applegreen intends to create about 300 full-time jobs at the development, as well as 200 short-term construction jobs.The group has developed 12 motorway service areas and employs 3,000 staff across its estate.The A1(M) site would serve both directions of travel from a single location with a new bridge and slipway to the development.The project has been at the centre of a controversy since the plan for a services station was initially suggested in 1997 to break up the distance between Wetherby and Durham motorway service areas.Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services (Kirby Hill RAMS) has successfully opposed two previous development proposals.Wilmslow-based planning consultancy, Axis, is helping Applegreen with the planning process.