Campaigners raise fresh concerns over A1(M) motorway services plan near BoroughbridgeMeet the campaigner who has opposed a Kirby Hill service station for 24 yearsSolar farm at Wetherby Services could power EV charging points

Wetherby Services has submitted plans for a solar farm on land next to the A1 (M) service station — with the renewable energy it generates used to power the site’s electric vehicle (EV) charging points.

The land north of the service station, which is currently used for agricultural purposes, spans more than five hectares but it would be turned over to solar panels under plans submitted by Moto Services to North Yorkshire Council this month.

According to planning documents, the proposal forms part of Moto’s strategy to bring forward solar farms on land next to Moto’s existing service stations.

Moto Services is the UK’s largest motorway service station operator with 59 sites.

It is expected the solar panels would be able to generate up to 7MW of renewable energy.

The screening opinion application asks the council if an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) should be submitted for a future full planning application for the solar farm.

The majority of the site is in a zone with a low flood zone risk. However, as part of it is also located in areas with medium to high risk of flooding, North Yorkshire Council has recommended that its flooding department is consulted on the proposal.

The solar farm application follows the launch of 12 EV charging points at Wetherby Services last year.

Planning documents state: 

“The proposed development is deemed crucial for the ongoing functionality of the associated Wetherby MSA. Electric vehicles will play a big part in the transition to zero emission transport, but to achieve these targets, it is imperative that suitable infrastructure is provided to support electric vehicles.

“The proposed development forms part of Moto’s wider strategy to bring forward solar farms on land adjacent to Moto’s existing MSAs, which will generate much needed electricity to power the EV Chargers at their services.”

In May, neighbouring authority Leeds City Council approved plans for 762 homes just 600m south of the site.

However, Moto says considering the “scale and nature” of the proposed solar farm development it would “unlikely lead to significant adverse effects” on the housing development.

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Parish council objects to latest Kirby Hill service station plan

Kirby Hill and District Parish Council has objected to the latest plans to build a motorway service station near to the village.

Applegreen Ltd has 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.

However, the parish council has objected to the proposal on the grounds that the developer was planning “major changes” to its plan.

It added that there was already a service station planned for Catterick and one on the A168 near Thirsk, which it says “plugs the gap” for a motorway service area.

In its objection, which was sent to North Yorkshire Council by parish council clerk, Martin Rae, the authority also called for the proposal to be considered by a planning committee.

It said:

“It [the parish council] also requests that this resubmitted application is dealt with by the planning authority in full committee at Tier 1 level.

“This is because councillors believe that it cannot be considered in isolation in view of the changed wider context in which services have now been approved at Catterick and greater provision of services now exists on the A168 link to the A19 at Thirsk.”

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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”.

North Yorkshire Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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.

A1 service station plan to enter fourth inquiry

After 25 years of multiple inquiries and court hearings, another inquiry into building a motorway service station A1 near Kirby Hill is set to open today.

It will be the fourth time the proposal has gone before a planning inspector since 1996.

The ongoing saga has left residents feeling battle weary. They have described it as “a burden on the village”.

Quarter of a century of hearings

In October 1996, Heaver Ive Associates, a property developer, submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council for a 24/7 service station between junctions 48 and 49 on the A1 northbound.

It would become the first in a long running saga pitting residents against developers that would eventually reach London’s High Court and the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

After initially seeing permission granted after a public inquiry in 1999, a High Court judge quashed the decision just 12 months later.

From there, the plans failed to convince both Harrogate Borough Councillors and planning inspectors in 2005 and 2012.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

The motorway service station site, as proposed by Applegreen, on the A1 northbound near Kirby Hill.

On both occasions, the Secretary of State opted to approve a different service station to serve the A1.

In 2005, Wetherby services were given the green light to be built. Approval to upgrade Leeming Bar followed seven years later.

After successive refusals by Harrogate Borough Council, Dublin-based Applegreen Plc, which runs petrol stations in the UK, United States and Ireland, submitted a fresh proposal.

The company’s plans in 2018 promised creating a spot to “refresh in a comfortable and welcoming environment”.

But, a year later, councillors denied permission again on the grounds that the site was not suitable for a service station and was not included in the district Local Plan.

The authority said in a decision notice that the development was “unsustainable” and would encroach into the open countryside resulting in “harm to the landscape and irreversible damage to agricultural land”.

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Applegreen appealed the decision in January last year, but the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic delayed the subsequent inquiry until this year.

What is the latest proposal?

The latest plans would see a service station built on the west side of the A1(M) north of the B6265 between Boroughbridge and Ripon.

A bridge would connect the site on the northbound carriageway with the southbound, while roundabouts with slip roads would connect the site with the A1.

Included in the application is a filling station, hot and cold food outlets and a drive-through coffee shop.

It also includes parking spaces for 364 cars, 90 heavy goods vehicles, 20 motorcycles, 18 coaches and 13 caravans.

What happens now?

The government’s Planning Inspectorate will open a public inquiry today.

The inspector will hear both the Applegreen and an application from Moto Hospitality for a service station near Ripon at junction 50, which was also refused.

A spokesperson for the Planning Inspectorate said that both would be considered by one inspector “in the interests of efficiency” because they have common issues and are within the same local authority area.

An inspector will hear the case and publish a judgement at a later date.

Kirby Hill residents prepare to continue motorway services fight

Residents living near a proposed motorway service area are preparing to fight a fifth application to develop the site.

Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services (RAMS) say they will protest at developer Applegreen’s AGM in Dublin, if current travel restrictions are lifted.

The company’s application for the site along the A1(M) was rejected by Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee in November last year, but an appeal was lodged in February. Now, the residents’ group is urging Applegreen to drop the plans rather than waste further money in pursuing the project.

Coun Nick Brown, who represents the ward on Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“As a former main board director of a company quoted on the London Stock Exchange, I would like to ask CEO Bob Etchingham and the directors of Applegreen to take a really close look at what they are doing here.

Speculatively ‘having a go’ at getting planning permission is one thing, but the Local Planning Authority has given six good reasons for refusal, on the back of four previous projects at this site that have gone the same way, three of them after Public Inquiry. Given the current business climate, I don’t understand why Applegreen is continuing to invest in such a controversial project, with so little prospect of success, contrary to the social and environmental credentials they claim for their brand.

If ever there was a time for management to cut their losses on this project, it is now.”

Kirby Hill RAMS has been fighting against applications for motorway services on the site for almost a quarter of a century, after the first plans were put forward in 1996. HBC said the current application would cause substantial harm to the surrounding countryside and environment of the village, as well as to the economy of neighbouring Boroughbridge.

A protest along the roadside against the Kirby Hill motorway services area

Kirby Hill Residents Against Motorway Services protested against the proposals by Applegreen, which was rejected in 2019

RAMS chairman Gareth Owens said:

“Kirby Hill is Britain’s most controversial proposed MSA site for a good reason: it is a completely inappropriate location for this type of development, which would cause substantial harm.For 24 years, decision-makers in the planning system and in the courts have agreed with us… We feel very strongly that the company should now respect Harrogate Borough Council’s decision.”

Eugene Moore, Applegreen’s chief development director, said:

“Applegreen has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate to consider the planning decision for the Vale of York motorway service area proposals. We don’t believe it is appropriate to comment on the process further until the appeal has been heard.”