New Tebay-style motorway service with farm shop and hotel proposed for M56

Good news for all you long-suffering motorway dwellers: The days of bleak and depressing service station stops could very well be over.

New reports by Place North West outlined that a luxury farm-shop style service station could be the latest addition to the M56. A four-week consultation has been launched by the Westmorland Family and the Tatton Estate for the Tatton Services scheme, which would be located at junctions seven and eight on the M56.

Quite excitingly, the Westmorland Family owns the Tebay Service Station in Cumbria – arguably the best service station in the whole country, by the way – so we can expect some grand things from the upcoming Tatton Services.

Tebay

The new venture aims to build a sustainability-focused rest stop for travellers –  the Westmorland Family already has an excellent track record of focusing on green-friendly service schemes, with its Gloucester Services earning an impressive BREEAM rating.

To keep the scheme environmentally friendly, Westmorland has said it will use local produce and make its food from scratch, thus eliminating the distance ingredients will have to travel and the amount of packaging that has to be used. The company also said it would not send any waste to a landfill.

The current plans call for approximately 600 car parking spaces, including fifty-four electrical charging points and room for HGVs, coaches, caravans and motorcycles.

Each would be able to get its preferred fuel at the scheme’s ‘fuel barn,’ which will be adaptable so traditional fuel offerings can be scaled down and electric vehicle charge points can be eventually added.

Westmorland Family

But perhaps the most intriguing part of the new service station is the design – the reports claim that the main building and farm shop will be designed by Glenn Howells Architects, the very people responsible for the Tatton station.

And for those struggling to stay awake behind the wheel after a lengthy drive, there will also be a hotel offering 100 rooms for a good night’s kip.

Consultation on the scheme will be running until August 23rd and, if the scheme proceeds as planned, a planning application will be submitted later this year – so watch this space for any further updates!