Fears new M4 service station might turn out to be ‘vacation spot in its personal proper’

Plans for a brand new motorway service station at junction 37 for Bridgend have been submitted

Proposals to construct a brand new motorway service station on the M4 at Bridgend’s junction 37 have been submitted to the county borough council. The plans from the Draycott Group are for a growth on land off the M4, near the Pyle interchange at junction 37, with a possible new entry street additionally constructed off the northern carriageway of the A4229.

If accredited by council bosses, it might finally see the event of a petroleum station, electrical car charging factors, and three drive-through eating places.

These might embrace a McDonald’s, Starbucks and Greggs, together with related seating areas and bathroom amenities.

The plans additionally say these would occupy separate, individually designed buildings with devoted parking amenities on the positioning.

The service space can be close to to a number of massive residential areas together with the villages of North Cornelly, Pyle, and Kenfig Hill.

The proposals add {that a} complete of 125 folks might finally be employed on the web site, equating to 78 full-time equal jobs that are described as being “significantly engaging” to a youthful age group.

The complete utility got here after a proper pre-application which was carried out with the native planning authority in 2022, although this acknowledged the proposal “didn’t draw a constructive response from the council”.

The report mentioned: “The council thought of that additional justification can be required to show that there was an ‘overriding want’ for the sort of growth on this particular countryside location.”

There have been extra considerations the positioning might draw folks away from the Porthcawl space, rising automobile journeys, and turning into a “vacation spot in its personal proper”.

Nevertheless, additional planning justification by builders argued motorway-related developments are “inevitably positioned in countryside, away from city centres”, as they can’t be sited elsewhere by definition.

The closest service areas to the proposed Pyle web site are at Sarn to the east and Swansea West to the west, with the 2 being about 25 miles aside.

As soon as up and working, the providers can be open on a 24-hour foundation and for three hundred and sixty five days a yr. For the most recent Bridgend information signal as much as our e-newsletter right here.