New M5 eco services would be a huge boost for Gloucestershire
Mark Gale, chief executive of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust explains why he believes a new service station would be good for Gloucestershire:
IT is not surprising that the plans for the Gloucestershire Gateway Services have divided local opinion.
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Boost: Mark Gale
Proposals of this scale rarely go unnoticed and we welcome the views of all stakeholders.
However, we also want to ensure that people are basing their opinions on facts.
It is up to the Highways Agency to determine the need for all motorway service areas (MSA).
The Highways Agency has said that as the gap in motorway service provision from the end of the M50 at Ross to Michaelwood is in excess of 50 miles, there is a need for a new service area. The Agency has also said that this gap is one of half a dozen nationally which have been recognised by Ministers as needing filling.
The land availability in the area is limited, so the proposed site at Brookthorpe is the only option.
Gloucestershire Gateway Ltd, the partnership between Westmorland Ltd and Gloucestershire Gateway Trust, has been set up to support sustainable community regeneration locally in Matson and Robinswood, Podsmead, Tuffley and Stonehouse and its GL10 hinterland. That ideology informs our plans for the £35m Gloucestershire Gateway.
The Gateway services will create around 300 jobs. We will focus our pre-employment training and support in our target communities guaranteeing local residents an interview if they take up local training opportunities. We have already started laying the foundations for this work through the Gateway shop in Matson and the proposed new community facility on the Park estate in Stonehouse.
A further 200 jobs will be safeguarded or created indirectly though construction contracts and working with local and regional producers. At least 50 per cent of our meat, dairy, eggs and bakery products will be sourced locally, with a further 20 per cent from regional suppliers.
In place of franchises, such as Costa coffee and McDonald's, which will never find a home at Gloucestershire Gateway, our shops will promote the county by selling products from at least 40 local and 20 regional businesses.
As part of our partnership agreement with Westmorland Ltd, which currently runs the hugely successful Tebay Services in Cumbria, we anticipate the distribution of £10m over 20 years to support voluntary and community organisations in Gloucestershire. In the coming years new sources of income will be more critical than ever for local charities.
Distribution will be informed by a five-year community impact plan, which will identify needs and priorities in the target area.
What sets our proposed service area apart from the others you will find the length and breadth of the country is our commitment to being sustainable in every sense of the word – socially, economically and environmentally.
Gloucestershire Gateway would aim to use 80 per cent less energy when compared to a traditional MSA, source 10 per cent of its energy from renewable technologies and achieve an excellent BREEAM (environmental assessment) rating.
Independent assessment of our proposals recognise that by incorporating natural sustainable drainage systems (SUDs), new planting and supporting wildlife highways we can improve biodiversity on the Gateway site.
An equally sensitive approach has been taken to the design and landscaping of the proposed buildings.
We are fortunate to live and work in one of the most picturesque parts of the country and, as someone who regularly spends his weekends exploring the surrounding countryside, it is non-negotiable that the design be sympathetic to its surroundings.
Our architects, Glenn Howells Architects, were appointed following an invited design competition. They are working alongside Stroud practice, Gordon Clarke Architects, in order to gain a full understanding of the area and its communities.
The final designs, which merge traditional craft skills with modern technology, are the result of lengthy reviews and public consultation to ensure the best outcome for all stakeholders. Our open and honest proposal comes with no hidden agenda. The Gloucestershire Gateway Services would bring a wealth of new opportunities to the area.
41 Comments
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by Kay Powell, Robinswood
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 4:28PM
“Pete, you were looking for information about the 1994 public inquiry. A summary of the planning inspector's report is available at www.camsa.biz.”
by Kay Powell, Robinswood
Wednesday, August 04 2010, 4:24PM
“Pete, yes, I'm confused by your comments. You definitely wrote that there was a small road at either end of the bridge over the motorway. Go back and look at what you wrote. What did you mean?
Joe K, the 1994 application went to appeal (i.e. public inquiry) on the grounds of non-determination. If this one is passed by Stroud District Council, the objectors will take it to a judicial review, not a public inquiry.”
by Iain, Gloucester
Monday, August 02 2010, 11:12AM
“Not sure where Pete got his satnav from ? But according to google maps the A40 Ross to Stonehouse route is 25.6 Miles (49 Mins) and the M50 / M5 Route 47.6 miles 52 Mins ? Hardly the "quicker" or "shorter" route surely ? Frankly the M50 / M5 argument for this MSA is nonsense.”
by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Monday, August 02 2010, 3:16AM
“Pete, I don't know if you've seen this page - http://www.stroud.gov.uk/docs/planning/planning_application_view_binary.asp?URL=%2FWAM%2Fdoc%2F603823-Page-2.pdf?extension=.pdf%26amp%3Bpage=2%26amp%3Bid=603823%26amp%3Bappid=1001%26amp%3BcontentType=application%2Fpdf%26amp%3Blocation=VOLUME2 - but it seems to imply that the Road Chef application was successful, but 'dismissed on appeal'. That still needs clarifying, but suggests that Gloucestershire Gateway aren't the only ones who could appeal against a decision that doesn't go their way.
A newcomer to the CAMSA Facebook page has suggested that 'rest areas', where motorists can stop, stretch their legs and use the toilet, are another option, besides a fullscale service area. I'm wondering why that has never been suggested before, if the lack of an MSA has been such a problem?”
by Pete, Tewkesbury
Monday, August 02 2010, 1:39AM
“Joe K wrote - I wonder, out of interest, if previous applicants to build a motorway service area appealed against a decision after being refused? If so, it would suggest how successful an appeal would be on this occasion.
Impossible to judge unfortuately as these proposed services were just that- Proposed but not by any operator as the spaces were reserved and the ghost slips built at the time the motorway was built and at the time the govt. through the DOT were the ones who built the services before handing them over to to the various operators on a lease (only 20 remain on 50 year leases now). They also decided the locations and incurred the building costs - this has of course changed these days. The only comparason would be a proposal in 1994 by Road Chef to build a services at the site the exact site that is proposed for this Gloucestershire Gateway services and was thrown out - unfortunately I can't find any information on it or the application.”