The new motorway service area (MSA) – Fareham Services – proposed by Welcome Break at junction 11 of the M27, would add more than £15m in GVA (gross value added) to the area.
The figures are found in a report, commissioned by Fareham Borough Council and undertaken by Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), to provide a review of the socioeconomic benefit evidence submitted by Axis (Welcome Break’s planning consultants).
The £15.35m figure is split into two. Drawing on national employment and GVA data, Axis estimates that the construction phase could generate approximately £6.346m in GVA via 100 jobs. The construction of the site is expected to last approximately 16 months, with an average of 100 workers on-site and a peak of around 150.
Meanwhile, another £9m in GVA would be generated by the 276 workforce across the site. On opening, approximately 170 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs would be created, rising to around 200 FTE jobs once the facility reaches full capacity after one year. Axis confirm that this includes a mix of part-time and full-time jobs and that around 276 workforce jobs in total could be created once the MSA fully operational.
The planning application is for land to the north east of M27 junction 11, where Welcome Break wants to build a main amenity building, a petrol station, drive-thru coffee shop, parking with EV chargepoints and highway improvement works. The application form suggests that there will be a net total of 700sq m of new sales space as part of the proposed scheme.
Welcome Break acknowledges the potential for the MSA to take trade away from existing businesses within the area. However, given the site will primarily serve motorway users, any displacement is expected to be limited.
The application is already proving controversial, with many members of the public objecting to it, citing extra traffic as a major problem.
