Welcome Break has submitted plans to knockdown and rebuild the Applegreen branded Northway Service Station on the A1 Southbound at Hinxworth, Baldock.
The application says the existing Northway site “offers little amenity to the motorist beyond the provision of fuel”. The existing layout has a large area of mixed hard- standing, HGV pump islands, car pump islands with canopy over and a small shop building.
The proposal seeks to demolish the existing shop and forecourt, and replace it with a larger Welcome Break-branded shop in an improved location, facing the A1, with food to go, internal seating and a small convenience retail section.
The proposed new forecourt layout would allocate additional space for parking in front of the shop. The new shop would have a drive-thru lane located at the back which would be used in-conjunction with one of the food-to-go offers inside.
In addition, a drive-thru coffee shop is proposed to the north of the site, on the currently disused area of grassland. The site would be clearly partitioned so both the forecourt shop and coffee shop can be easily accessed by motorists.
A section of the car park would be equipped with 24 EV chargepoints.
The application said: “The proposed petrol filling station facility represents a significant investment in the site which will ensure the long-term operational future of the facility by meeting the requirements of customers. The proposed development will also support the increasing number of electric cars on the road”.
