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.”
by Pete, Tewkesbury
Monday, August 02 2010, 1:18AM
“http://www.multimap.com/maps/?mapType=aerial&zoom=17&countryCode=GB&lat=51.9144397008998&lon=-2.15042055847369#map=51.90632,-2.15316|19|8&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:51.509:-0.1261:17||United%20Kingdom
Is the link in case anyone gets confused - just copy and paste the lot into your browser!”
by Pete, Tewkesbury
Monday, August 02 2010, 1:16AM
“mmm Kay you seem to be slightly confused in your comment - Firstly you say that the Lane I am talking about cannot of been built for a proposed MSA but then in the same comment go on and say that " It will not be connected to the proposed MSA and so could not give access for emergency vehicles. I can't think of another road on the other side of the motorway, either. Access will only be from the motorway or Upton Lane." I never said that it would if you read my comment - I was talking about a previously proposed MSA. - If you look here - http://www.multimap.com/maps/?mapType=aerial&zoom=17&countryCode=GB&lat=51.9144397008998&lon=-2.15042055847369#map=51.90632,-2.15316|19|8&bd=useful_information&loc=GB:51.509:-0.1261:17||United%20Kingdom Zoom in and you will see the ghost slips (for both getting on and off the motorway) and the one road running off the road that comes off the one over the bridge running from the is apprently the one emergency access and the other I am guessing is the other is the track off just above the trees - It is hard to be sure exactly as there is little information around about this particular msa (and it was before my time!) but the main evidence being the ghost slips.”
by Joe K, Barton & Tredworth
Sunday, August 01 2010, 11:03AM
“'Would you all be moaning if the services were to be put in a different location?' -
Ash, Delivery Driver, Dursley
Pretty obviously, that would be a different situation. The noise and pollution created by vehicles slowing to enter the services and accelerating away again wouldn't affect the local community, the same community the developers claim will benefit from this but certainly aren''t guaranteeing.
This proximity to a major conurbation should be the death knell for the project, but apparently Stroud council's planning officers are recommending the scheme go ahead. It won't hurt Stroud residents in the least bit, tucked away on the edge of their boundary.
I'd *really* like to know the details of the other applications(s?), and who dealt with it/them. What really changed to make this one a feasible proposition..?”
by Ash, Delivery Driver, Dursley
Sunday, August 01 2010, 9:09AM
“Kay, parking is 2hrs max free parking. anybody wishing to stay longer than 2hrs will have to pay, or get clamped be it a hgv driver or a car driver. As for a revamp bout time needs a tidy up. Stopping hgv's parking up that wont happen as they ar obliged to provide overnight parking facilities. Would you all be moaning if the services were to be put in a different location? why not while your at it campaign for the motorway to be re routed. you'll have as much luck with that as the services being built.”
by john halford, sneedhams green
Saturday, July 31 2010, 8:41PM
“good luck Kay most people dont want this built, i didn't get a chance to sign the protest form”