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22
Sept 2023
Plans for motorway services between Ripon and Boroughbridge approved
Councillors have approved the latest plans for a motorway service station near to Kirby Hill.
Applegreen Ltd submitted amended plans 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.
The proposal already has outline permission after the government’s Planning Inspectorate approved the plan on appeal in April 2021.
At a meeting last week, councillors on North Yorkshire Council’s strategic planning committee approved the amended proposal.
Applegreen, which is based in Dublin, applied for amendments to its plan, including an extension to the length of the slip roads and increasing the permissible height of the eastern dumbbell roundabout by up to 1.25 metres.
In documents submitted to the council, the company said the changes were “limited design amendments”.
But, Gareth Owens, of Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services, told the committee that the plan did not amount to minor amendments.
He said:
Mr Owens added:
Cllr Nick Brown, who represents the area on North Yorkshire Council, said he knew of no other local issue which residents felt more strongly about.
He added the scheme was “materially different” to what was approved by the government’s Planning Inspectorate.
Nick Roberts, who represented Applegreen at the meeting, said the need for a motorway service station at the site was established by a planning inspector after a three-week public inquiry.
Read more:
Government approves A1 service station after fourth appeal in 25 years
- Harrogate council paid £45,000 in Kirby Hill and Ripon service station legal fees
- Residents object to latest Kirby Hill service station plans
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 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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