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Apr
Parish council objects to latest A1(M) motorway services plan near Boroughbridge
A parish council has objected to the latest plans for a new motorway service station near Kirby Hill.
Applegreen Ltd has submitted a reserved matters planning application for the scheme between junctions 48 and 49 of the A1(M) northbound, between Boroughbridge and Ripon.
It would see a Welcome Break built at the site, as well a filling station and 364 car parking spaces created.
Councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee approved the outline proposal in September 2023 after a previous refusal was overturned by a government planning inspector. That means the principle of development has been established.
The current reserved matters application seeks approval for the access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the services, including slip road lengths and height of a proposed eastern dumbbell roundabout.
However, Kirby Hill and District Parish Council has objected to the plan on the grounds that the proposal differs too much from what was originally proposed.
A letter of objection from the council said:
The council considers that the changes to the original proposals that were given outline approval are so significant, and that there are matters still needing greater clarification, that an updated Environmental Impact Assessment (in line with the 2017 regulations) is needed.
Particular concerns of councillors relate to the new motorway overbridge and the eastern dumb-bell roundabout. The technical drawings/illustrations do not enable the council to assess properly the impact of the changes and the effectiveness of the proposed landscaping, especially around the eastern dumb-bell mound.
The developer said in its planning statement that the reserved matters application was “consistent with the development” that was previously approved.
North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.
The location of the planned motorway service station on the A1(M).
The move comes after the government approved plans for the service station following a series of public inquiries and planning battles.
In a saga which has spanned a quarter of a century, Applegreen’s application has been before multiple council planning committees, faced four public inquiries and been turned down twice by the Secretary of State and the High Court.
The inquiry, which was held by planning inspector David Rose in 2021 and streamed onto YouTube, lasted two weeks and included multiple testimonies from residents, campaigners and developer Applegreen.
In a decision notice, Mr Rose said after considering the evidence that the benefits of a service station would outweigh the harm.
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