New M25 service station in Essex proposed

Plans for a new service station on the M25 have been submitted.Client Moto Hospitality wants to build the facility on both sides of the motorway at Brentwood in Essex.If approved, the development would feature up to 850 car parking spaces, 450 HGV spaces, coach parking, two 3,400 square metre amenity buildings made from glued laminated timber, two petrol stations and two drive-through restaurants.Two new access slip roads from the M25 would be needed to access the facility, located on greenbelt land on the site of a former golf course and farm.A planning statement submitted by agent Smith Jenkins, representing Moto Hospitality, notes that National Highways has identified the need for a service station in the north-east section of the M25, and that every potential site in the area is in the greenbelt.It also notes that in the event of the planned Lower Thames Crossing being built, travellers to the area to or from Kent via the route would have to drive more than 60 miles between service stations.No valuation for the job has been set but, according to construction data experts Glenigan, a job for scoping work worth £1m was opened in July this year.A design and access statement along with the application reads: “The illustrative designs for the built elements of the scheme have been carefully considered to blend the scheme seamlessly into the landscape, protecting key views and minimising any unnecessary disruption to the landscape.“This has been a major driver in the designs from the start with the positioning of the building within the site and the utilisation of both the green roof, supported by carefully considered perimeter earth moulding and planting to help shield the development from off site views, while maintaining a necessary presence from the motorway to ensure that the facility is identifiable from a ‘road safety’ perspective.”