Go-ahead for new services on the M1
DETAILED DESIGNS for a new £60m motorway services between two of the region’s most used roads has been approved by a West Yorkshire authority.
Investor and operator Extra MSA Group will start construction of the Leeds Skelton Lake Services at junction 45 of the M1 within the next fortnight.
It will open in summer 2019 and improve road safety between the existing services at the M62 Hartshead Moor, the M1 Woolley Edge and A1M Wetherby facilities due to regulations about how far apart services should be.
The site is located at the gateway to the Leeds Enterprise Zone and Extra’s investment in the Leeds City Region will create more than 700 job opportunities throughout its construction and operation.
There will be a food court, shops, business centre, petrol station and a 100-bedroom hotel as well as visitor centre, community space and an upper-floor viewing deck overlooking Skelton Lake and Gardens.
By improving footpath and cycle routes, the development will also form part of a ‘green corridor’ linking the grade I-listed Temple Newsam House with Rothwell Country Park.
Andrew Long, CEO of Extra MSA Group, said: “We are pleased to receive final approval from Leeds City Council and are looking forward to commencing construction works on site as soon as reasonably possible in April.
“With a first-class design and a range of significant economic, social and environmental benefits, Leeds Skelton Lake Services will set a new standard for motorway service areas in the UK.”