The rise of EG On The Move continues apace, with the firm opening a new forecourt in Stone, Staffordshire, following years of planning difficulties.
The eight-pump Stone Services site features a Spar convenience store in partnership with Iceland, the result of a working relationship that was announced last month following a successful trial.
The Staffordshire forecourt sits on a roundabout joining the A34 and A51 roughly six miles south of the centre of Stoke-on-Trent. The site was formerly occupied by the Darlaston Inn pub, which closed in 2018 due to falling trade, and subsequently became derelict. EGOTM says the location has been “transformed into a modern service station offering fuel, food, and convenience”. Eight EV charging bays are to be installed in due course.
The pub and its land were originally acquired by EG Group, which intended to build a filling station and drive-through KFC, but the firm’s 2018 planning application, and a subsequent appeal, were refused over concerns the restaurant would attract pedestrians, posing a safety risk due to the busy roads.
A revised plan, this time without a KFC, was again refused, but this application went to the Planning Inspectorate for appeal, with permission granted in 2023.
EG On The Move has expanded significantly of late, having bought Applegreen’s UK forecouts at the start of the year. The firm plans to open 20 forecourts in 2025 alone, and opened two new-to-industry sites in February.
The company secured the ground lease for a filling station in Merseyside for £3.6m in April, opened its 150th site, near the Lincolnshire Showground, and began operating Rotherham services, in the same month; it is also planning a new £4m PFS in Durham.
EGOTM does not always encounter smooth waters, though, with Mid Suffolk District Council recently criticising the firm as it refused an application to install two large illuminated signs Elmswell Services, which was previously issued a ‘stop notice’ due to concerns over traffic flows - though the site subsequently reopened after improvements were made.
