Tebay-style Cheshire service station approved after inquiry
Tatton Estate and Westmorland Group have been given the green light to redevelop 39 acres between Junction 7 and Junction 8 of the M56 after the Planning Inspectorate declared the site Grey Belt.
Cheshire East Council approved plans for the motorway service station October 2023 despite 150 objections but it was called in by then-secretary of state Michael Gove due to its Green Belt status and pressure form a local campaign group.
Since then, the new labour government has introduced the concept of Grey Belt – effectively poor quality Green Belt – to free up more land for development.
Following an inquiry held last October, planning inspector David Rose concluded that “the site meets the definition of grey belt” and approved the development.
He concluded: “This is a good scheme that ought to have been operational long before now.”
The Glenn Howells Architects-designed Tatton Services would follow the blueprint set out at Westmorland’s Tebay and Gloucester service stations.
Tebay has become a destination in its own right, with around 4.5m visitors coming each year to fuel up, shop, and eat its locally sourced food.
The plans would feature a 68,000 sq ft main amenity building, a 100-bedroom hotel, and a filling station.
Sarah Dunning, chair of Westmorland, said: “We welcome the green light for our plans for Tatton Services; this now allows us to move on and develop our plans to the next stage of the project.”
Amy Bowden on behalf of the Tatton Estate, commented: “This unique sustainable motorway service area is exactly the sort of high-quality development the Tatton Estate are proud to promote, with a strong family-run ethos, excellent architecture, landscaping and environmental credentials. Tatton Services will bring lasting benefits to local businesses and the wider community, creating jobs and supporting the regional economy.”
Pegasus Group is the planning consultant for the scheme. The project team also includes FWP, Planit, Ramboll, Ecology Solutions, Jensen Hughes, Lightpad, BWB, and Les Postawa.
