Appleby Magna services
M42 and A42 at J11
(also accessible to traffic on the A444)
Signposted from the road.
DE12 7AP
map and directions
Single site located at a junction..
The service area consists of a filling station and McDonald's at the end of the M42, primarily serving the A444.
Facilities
Catering: McDonald's Drive Thru Forecourt: Shell, Select, Deli by Shell, Costa Express, Air1 AdBlue, Free Cash Machine
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Atherstone Road
Appleby Magna
Swadlincote
Derbyshire
DE12 7AP
Trivia and History
The planned HS2 eastern rail link will pass very close to this service station. It is likely that the entry junction will have to be modified to make space for it.
Development
After the M42 opened in 1986, Tamworth Road was moved on to a new alignment. This left an abandoned section of road next to Appleby Field.
There was a proposal to turn this land into a roadside service area, first endorsed by Fina and Kelly's Kitchen. While they didn't have planning permission, Kelly's Kitchen did advertise it as opening in Autumn 1990.
In the event, Kelly's Kitchen were sold and Forte chose not to continue with this site. Instead McDonald's took the opportunity on, and built their second ever UK roadside restaurant here. The Fina was built and became Total, and then was sold to Shell in 2013.
Planning permission is held for two InstaVolt electric vehicle charging points to be installed in the McDonald's car park.
Road Signs
Since it opened, there has been a debate between the landowners and various civil servants about whether the services could, or should, be signposted from the motorway. The argument has surfaced repeatedly since the 1990s. In December 2017 non-standard signs were added to the M42, but these may be changed.
If official signs are provided, Appleby Magna would become an MSA, even though it doesn't provide the required facilities. However, improved signage would benefit the landowner, and it would also be an opportunity to reduce the number of fatigue-related accidents on the A42.
Strictly speaking the current signs on the M42 refer to this as a "non-motorway service area", even though it is signed from a motorway because that's what those signs are doing!
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Tamworth (8 miles) | Services on the M42 & A42 | Donington (15 miles) |
| Nuneaton (15 miles) | Services on the A444 | none |