Full planning permission has been granted for a new Tebay-style motorway service area (MSA) on the M56 between junctions 7 and 8 after years of wrangling with local and national planners.
The new Tatton Services will create an estimated 234 jobs and add £12 million a year to the local economy. Westmorland, which operates three MSAs – Tebay, Gloucester and Cairn Lodge – known for their locally sourced food and farm shops, has been given permission to build a 100-room hotel, plus farm shop, petrol station and charging for 96 electric vehicles on the green-belt land. Westmorland will develop the new services in partnership with The Tatton Estate, which owns 5,500 acres in the heart of Cheshire.
Planning consent for the new MSA had initially been granted by Cheshire East Council in late 2023, before being referred to the Planning Inspectorate by Michael Gove, then Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Concerns had been raised by Trafford Council that development of the site would represent an “inappropriate development in the Green Belt, harming openness and visual amenity”.
Following a lengthy investigation and report, the Secretary of State has now granted permission for the development to go ahead, finding the proposed site is Grey Belt, meaning it comprises underutilised or poor-quality land within a Green Belt.
Sarah Dunning, chair of Westmorland, said: “We welcome the green light for our plans for Tatton Services; this now allows us to move on and develop our plans to the next stage of the project.”
Amy Bowden from the Tatton Estate called the new MSA a “high-quality development”, adding that it has “a strong family-run ethos, excellent architecture, landscaping and environmental credentials.”
