M42 services set to go ahead despite objection
CONTROVERSIAL plans for a massive motorway services look set to go ahead in Solihull despite them being rejected by councillors.
A government planning inspector has approved one of two plans to build a new motorway service station off the M42, which were both refused by Solihull Council.
Two rival companies had bid to develop the motorway service area (MSA) along the stretch of road. Applegreen submitted multi-million pound plans for land near Box Trees Farm near Shirley, close to junction four, while Extra MSA Group wanted to build a services next to junction five, between Catherine-de-Barnes and Hampton-in-Arden.
Despite the latter being recommended for approval by council officers, both were refused by committee members over fears allowing either one would do considerable damage to the greenbelt. Both companies then lodged an appeal against the decision.
Planning inspector Michael Boniface dismissed the Applegreen appeal but upheld Extra MSA
Group’s argument for a services at junction five.
It means the firm can proceed with its scheme, which also includes a hotel – though there is a potential spanner in the works. The Extra MSA Group application was reliant on the M42 being converted to a smart motorway.
However, the Government has since paused the roll-out of smart motorways, due in part to safety concerns, meaning the development could be put off until 2025 at the earliest.
Mr Boniface said if smart motorways are permanently halted, then the MSA scheme may not go ahead at all.
The inspector said in conclusion: “Whilst both schemes would provide a significant benefit, the location of the Appeal B (junction 5) site is preferable in that it would fill more of the gaps in provision and provide a marginally greater level of safety and welfare benefits to the travelling public as a result.”
The inspector said that both schemes would cause harm to the green belt but ultimately ruled that Extra MSA Group’s would be less harmful.
He added: “For Appeal B, I have concluded that significant harm would result to the green belt.
“Whilst the level of harm is somewhat less than for Appeal A, it is nonetheless an important consideration and attracts substantial negative weight.
“The effect on the character and appearance of the area; loss of agricultural land (including BMV land); harm to ancient woodland; and the effect on the setting of Hampton Lane Farmhouse also weighs against the proposal, as does the impact of the scheme on the DCO works to a limited extent.
“In favour of the proposals, would be the meeting of an identified need for MSA facilities and resulting safety and welfare benefits for road users; economic benefits in terms of local investment and job creation; landscape resource benefits through additional tree and woodland cover; a biodiversity net gain; and heritage benefits from the redevelopment of Walford Hall Farm.
“Cumulatively, these benefits are sufficient to clearly outweigh the harm to the green belt and all other harms, so as to constitute the very special circumstances necessary to justify the grant of planning permission.”
The ruling went on to say: “The recently announced pause to the roll-out of ALR smart motorways will likely delay delivery of the Appeal B scheme and could, if the outcome of the Government’s review is unfavourable, make the planning permission unimplementable.
“However, it is the only MSA scheme that is acceptable in planning terms and that can meet the need on this stretch of motorway.
“There remains a good prospect that the scheme will be able to proceed, and this is sufficient to grant planning permission subject to conditions which allow implementation only at a time when access can be achieved from an ALR smart motorway.”
A spokesperson for Solihull Council said: “The planning inspector approved the motorway service area on the M42 at Catherine-de-Barnes following an appeal.
“Notwithstanding, there are a number of outstanding conditions, especially in relation to highways matters, that will need to be addressed before the scheme could actually be constructed.
“The decision is also open to potential legal challenge until April 22, 2022.”