300 jobs boost as M5 eco service station gets go ahead
WORK will finally begin on a £40million service station in Gloucester after a final legal hurdle was overcome.
The motorway service area (MSA) at Brookthorpe, which will create 300 new jobs, will now get under way after campaigners failed in a last ditch throw of the legal dice at the Court of Appeal.
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Gateways Service Station - artist's impression
Yesterday the death knell was sounded for campaigners from Brookthorpe with Whaddon Parish Council, Harescome Parish Council and pressure group the Campaign Against Motorway Service Area (CAMSA), who even presented a 1,089-signature petition against the plans, after a lengthy campaign.
The development, between M5 Junctions 11a and 12, is the brainchild of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Westmoreland, which runs two Lake District service stations.
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They were also challenged by rival service station operators Welcome Break, which runs Michaelwood service area, and Roadchef, which has the Strensham services.
But yesterday's hearing marked the final nail in the coffin in the appeal against planning permission for the project.
Mark Gale of the Trust said: "We are pleased that yesterday's decision brings an end to the judicial review process led by our competitors, which has delayed the project now for 18 months. We are looking forward to bringing this innovative project to fruition, which will generate 300 jobs, £40m of investment and significant community benefit."
In February the High Court turned down a judicial challenge by Roadchef and Welcome Break. An appeal was then launched against the decision, but that was ruled to have no grounds. Now, more than 70 acres of land on either side of the M5 at Onger's Farm will be transformed into petrol stations, cafes, and car and lorry parks.
Eric Hibbert, chairman of Brookthorpe with Whaddon Parish Council, has been one of the leading voices in the campaign against the MSA.
He said: "In all honesty we are not surprised or shocked by this decision. We have put up a brilliant fight right from the beginning."
Comments
by cortezcortez
Monday, June 18 2012, 8:16PM
“140 acres of English countryside gone for ever more noise more rubbish more seagulls not to mention the light pollution. The only local community to benefit from this will be the fox's rooks & rats but look on the bright side it will take 300 local benefit scroungers off the job centres' books”
by Star600
Sunday, June 17 2012, 4:32PM
“Have just being reading all your comments...I am assuming all of you have jobs? You can't compare here to Cumbria, it is a different way of life up there and when it opened the economy was very different. A job is a job these days, especially for the young, at least this sort of job will give them work to gain experience or those with bills to pay and children to raise.
Those worried about the impact on the countryside, this service station's impact will be small compared to the planned incinerator proposed at J12 which will only have approx 30 jobs when fully operational!
Better to be supporting local producers than the companies who dominate the other services stations and produce rubbish and charge silly money for it, how else do you think they make money! Service stations have to be provided, they are a part of modern life, like it or not!”
by thomas1996
Saturday, June 16 2012, 8:37PM
“John Halford, but think of all the 16-24 year olds out of work in Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, France who need a job not to mention Poland, Czech Republic, Romania etc etc.
Form an orderly queue!”
by Bartonite
Saturday, June 16 2012, 7:46PM
“TiG went a bit funny for a moment, re 'View All', John, but your comment at 9:33AM still seems to be there now.”
by john_halford
Saturday, June 16 2012, 6:49PM
“I said... money wins again, 300 jobs, pie in the sky. Now TIG what is wrong with that?”
by aprepper
Saturday, June 16 2012, 6:20PM
“This won't bring jobs to the local people. It will be manned by low paid eastern European workers, shipped in from other areas. This will not benefit the local community, financially or otherwise. Sounds great to be able to sell local produce but at highly inflated prices even the motorway users won't buy it. This is not needed, not welcome and will spoil a lovely piece of countryside. Shame on you county councillors for agreeing and shame on the court judges who went against the appeal.”
by Library_User
Saturday, June 16 2012, 4:26PM
“Farm land is being "transformed into petrol stations, cafes, and car and lorry parks."
"300 new jobs" will be poorly paid, part-time and working anti-social hours.
:-(”
by Cliffrat
Saturday, June 16 2012, 3:43PM
“Chances are most of the jobs will be same as many supermarket jobs - so-called 'part time' where the hours are beneath the number needed to incur minimum wage payments then offer loads of overtime which is of course all at basic pay rate so the operators get effectively full-time jobs at low pay.”
by PJKdaniels
Saturday, June 16 2012, 3:19PM
“I do hope the surface water from this site will not be draining into Daniels Brook, or the floods of 200t will be just a puddle compared to what will happen when this delelopemnt starts”
by Kay_Powell
Saturday, June 16 2012, 2:59PM
“Don't expect the new jobs to pay that much. The services at Tebay can't get the locals to work there; when Campaign Against Motorway Service Area investigated the employment situation at Tebay, they discovered that they have to bus in their workforce from towns 11 and 15 miles away.”