Developer expects opposition to plans for new service station on M1

PLANS have been submitted for a new £40m motorway services area green belt land next to the M1 near Sheffield.

Extra MSA Group has submitted the plans for a 27-acre site to the south west of junction 35, near Chapeltown.

The land contains an area of ancient woodland which will be lost if the plans are granted.

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The developer has acknowledged there will be opposition due to the loss of woodland.

It will argue that the need for a new services area is significant and amounts to ‘very special circumstances’ sufficient to justify development in the green belt.

The proposals will support around 400 construction jobs and typical Extra service areas employ between 250-300 staff.

The plans include a building with 33,000sq ft for retail use, a petrol station, 639 car parking spaces and an 80-bedroom hotel.

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To compensate for the loss of woodland, it is proposed to create a new 39-acre wood with 60,000 new trees which will be open to the public.

Another 172 acres of private woodland will be open for community use. Chapeltown Community Woodlands Trust will be created to manage the woodland.

Retailers have not been announced but a spokeswoman said it had previously worked with Waitrose and M&S at similar developments. Extra recently developed a service area on the M40 (junction 2) at Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire’s green belt.