Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty require standards of design that are perhaps models for what could be demanded of any permissions given in the Green Belt. The new motorway service area (MSA) near Stroud on the M5, now known as Gloucester Services, is a prime example.
Following a previous appeal dismissal of an outline application submitted by Roadchef in the early 1990s on the same site, the MSA is believed to be the first application to have received planning officer support and subsequent positive planning committee resolution in the country since denationalisation.
Pegasus Landscape Design guided the design of the scheme from the outset to ensure that the proposals would have minimal impact on the surrounding area. The scheme is set low into the landscape and features a substantial green roof.
The applicants, Westmorland Limited (operators of the award winning Tebay MSA in Cumbria) and Gloucester Gateway Trust (a charitable organisation), are committed to benefiting and regenerating the local area through food and employment sourcing initiatives, which were embedded within the planning application.
The proposal was endorsed by the South West Design Review Panel on behalf of CABE:
"We support this scheme confident that its major benefits far outweigh the minor intrusion it would make. It would set a new standard for MSAs and probably win national recognition as a model.”
Planning and design consultants: Pegasus Group
Clients: Westmorland Limited
This project is part of 'Beyond the Green Belt'
