Catterick: New £57m service station set for go-ahead on A1(M)

Plans to build a hotel, restaurants and a petrol station on pasture land off the A1(M) are set to be approved.

Roadchef said it planned to build the 11 hectare (27 acre) service station near Catterick, North Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Natural England warned the £57m development would impact a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

But planning officers at Richmondshire District Council said the scheme would "benefit the local economy".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Roadchef planned to develop a site at junction 52 of the motorway.

It would be less than 3,281 ft (1,000m) from Catterick village and would be about the size of 110 Olympic swimming pools.

The firm has said it would pay almost £2m to create wildlife habitats elsewhere to compensate for the impact on fauna and flora in the area, such as curlew, and in particular on the nearby SSSI at Swale Lakes.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said it would be "looking very closely at the habitat compensation conditions".

Jono Leadley, its regional manager, said: "The area of Pallet Hill is an important site for iconic curlews - these are much-loved and familiar birds in Yorkshire, but in serious decline and of highest conservation priority."

Planning documents stated the scheme would include a 100-room hotel, a fuel filling station and two drive-through restaurants.

Objectors, including other motorway services firms, have questioned the need for another service station in the area, particularly following consent being granted to develop services near Boroughbridge and plans being lodged to upgrade services at nearby Scotch Corner.

However, planning officers said a services area was needed at the junction to serve A1(M) users between Durham and York.

A report seen by officials said: "Considerable weight can be given in such instances to meeting this need because of the safety of users of the strategic road network.

"The impact on nature conservation is a significant material consideration in the assessment of the application and therefore significant compensatory measures have been sought to address the impact."

The scheme is expected to be given the go-ahead at a council meeting on Wednesday.

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