Controversial proposals to make changes to a planned motorway service station on the M62 have been approved. During the development management committee meeting held on Thursday, Extra MSA presented its request to modify two conditions as part of its environmental assessment application.
The construction of a motorway service area near Birchwood, situated to the north of junction 11, had previously received initial acceptance when outline planning permission was granted after an appeal. On Thursday, the committee deliberated over the Section 73 application to alter conditions related to the proposed site and ultimately voted in favour of it.
While the original application secured outline planning permission, with the exception of means of access, the specific details pertaining to the appearance, layout, landscaping, and scale of the project would be subject to a subsequent reserved matters application at a later stage.
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As per the committee report, condition five entails modifications to the four parameter plans specified in the original permission. These plans outline "defined zones for specific elements of the proposal, and future reserved matters applications must adhere to these zones."
Moreover, condition 26 is set to be amended to 'allow the applicant the option to pursue' a district level licensing agreement with Natural England, in case great crested newts are discovered on the site.
The existing outline permission allows for the construction of a facilities building, an 80 to 100-bed hotel, a fuel filling station for cars and HGVs with an associated retail outlet, as well as on-site parking for various vehicles such as cars, HGVs, coaches, caravans, motorbikes, and bicycles. The development also incorporates external amenity space for visitors.
While the application aimed to retain all the facilities and parking provisions, it proposed relocating the fuel filling zones to a different area within the site.
Cllr Judith Wheeler, a member of the committee, raised a question regarding the size of the hotel, stating, "The original application, the approved application, is for an 80 to 100 bed hotel. There's been a sizeable reduction in the facilities footprint, which includes the hotel. Is the size of the hotel a material planning consideration, or is it all considered under the facilities umbrella?"
Cllr Steve Parish, the committee chair, responded, "The original outline was for an 80 to 100 bed hotel, so as long as it's not bigger than that, I'm not sure there's an issue."
With the green light given to the proposed modifications, Extra MSA can move forward with their plans for the motorway service station, marking a significant step in the project's progress.
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