Developers are looking at open a new “park and ride” with filling station on land next to the A51 Burford crossing near Nantwich.
A “scoping opinion” application has been submitted for the proposed petrol filling station, coffee outlet
and 50-bay park ‘n’ ride with EV charging.
It would be on land between the A51 and Burford traffic lights junction with the B4531 Chester Road, in Acton. (pictured).
A scoping opinion report to Cheshire East Council states: “The proposed petrol filling station is intended to serve HGV traffic as well as other vehicles which travel this section of the A51.
“Pre-pandemic TRICS data confirms 15,000 vehicle movements daily.
“This section of the A51 is the major HGV route from Junction 16 of the M6 motorway to the Holyhead ferry terminal to Dublin.
“The proposed petrol filling station would include a national branded convenience store to serve passing traffic and the people of Acton and other outlying settlements.”
The no. 84 bus runs an hourly service linking Crewe and Chester via Nantwich and Acton.
Proposers believe the “park and ride” would provide a service for people wishing to visit Crewe or Chester.
“It would be particularly suited to those people not living on the 84 bus route, who would be able to drive to the Park n Ride to embark the bus,” says the report.
“In this way the proposed development would serve to reduce the number of private vehicles on the road to contribute to the local authority’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint.
“EV charging points would be provided at the Park ‘n’ Ride to further reduce the carbon-footprint.
“The proposed coffee outlet is a commercially symbiotic use with myriad custom, including as a convenient venue for informal business meetings and for people using the Park n Ride who have arrived prior to the arrival of the 84 bus; and especially in times of inclement weather.
“In terms of a future planning application, we envisage submitting the PFS and coffee outlet in outline, chiefly because PFS business models are undergoing a transition as society moves towards the greater use of electric vehicles.
“The operators we are in consultation with would themselves take the proposed development through reserved matters.
“The Park ‘n’ Ride would have very beneficial effects for the wider community and would be submitted in detail to ensure its delivery.”
Acton, Henhull and Edleston Parish Council say they were not consulted about the plan during the initial consultation stage.
Council chair Daniel Evans said: “The documentation states there are no neighbours listed.
“Yet it is obvious from the aerial photograph contained in the scoping request that there are neighbouring properties.
“We fail to understand why this Parish Council or the Ward Councillor was not contacted and consulted.
“We request that all further information in connection with this scoping opinion and potential application is notified to Acton Edleston and Henhull Parish Council.”
Find out more about the ‘scoping opinion’ application on the CEC planning portal here.
(image courtesy of Google Maps)
When did Bluestone change to Burford ? took me a mombet to work out where it was. Also if you look on the application it say’s no residents, someone needs to check that out as it has several property’ in the area adjecent.
I am lorry driver and I think this is a fantastic idea. I often stay over night in the area.
I think a large roundabout would be better going forward than traffic lights. An exit on the roundabout to the service station. I think a lot of my trucking friends would use these services. Especially, if there is a shower.
A park and ride, what about the Crewe area. If I am not wrong isn’t Crewe larger.
Good news about the service station.
Happy New Year
The land in question hosts a thriving and much loved outdoor gym centre, which the owner has put a lot of hard work into building up and is clearly under threat from this proposal. Strange that there is no mention of this in the article? This is a rural area and does not need spoiling with another Costa and Shell.
This is just encouraging more HGV vehicles to use the already ‘busy’ A51. I should remind Cheshire East Council, they have just finished repairing a section of the A51 in the Calverley area, by Bougheys, as this was collapsing into the canal. There are other areas of the A51 which need immediate repairs (one area, sidewalk by bus stop at Wardle and further along, which has major cracks (bus stop listing to canalside), – another, the rounadabout Green Lane, which had been repaired but is splitting again – yet someone comes up with an idea to add more traffic onto this busy and dangerous Aroad.
I was always under the impression that a basic premise for a “Park & Ride” was a regular and FREQUENT bus service. I don’t really think that the No 84 service once an hour meets that criterion.
If perhaps any service into Nantwich were to use electric vehicles that would satisfy the “Green” credentials?
The A51 is not THE major HGV route to Holyhead, there are plenty of quicker alternatives. Please don’t encourage its use.
Anyone can pick up the 84 bus to Chester by parking in the free car park at Acton. We are hoping for a new train station at Beeston to get to Chester.
Who the hell in their right mind would want a park and ride from the proposed location to Nantwich?
No doubt another greedy land owner trying to make a fortune flogging his bit of land to an over greedy forecourt group!!
We already have a forecourt at Wardle that can service this route.
This has always been an accident black spot and this will only add to the potential danger !
Have some balls Cheshire East and start turning these hideous proposals down. It will benefit no one locally.
The park and ride aspects to this plan are nothing more than an afterthought, in my view just to add some green credentials to help with planning, and if Boris and the rest of the UK party’s are to be believed we will not require petrol stations much past 2035, the investment would be better used to give Nantwich and the surrounding areas more electric charging points not just a convenience store and a coffee shop, there are already plenty of those in the town
There ‘may’ be no new petrol/diesel cars after 2035 but there will be millions of existing ones and this facility will have charging points for electric vehicles as well.
Hence my point that according to the present political party’s policymakers the future will be electric, so no need for a few electric charging points, we are going to need every parking space in town to have a charging point, not just a few two miles out of town