Becconsall Bridge
Becconsall Bridge
Road: M55 at J2Location: Lower Bartle, Woodplumpton, Preston, Lancashire
Other names: Preston North Western
Authority: Preston City Council
Developer: Moto
Year initiated: 2023
Moto began a project in April 2023, where they are seeking to build a full motorway service area at the brand new M55 J2. The junction didn't open until July 2023, as part of a road project that opened up swathes of new land for development.
The facility would be accessed from a new roundabout, which would be built to the north of the two roundabouts just built. This would allow access to the farm to be maintained, with a single carriageway spine road heading into the service area. It would be the first service area to open on the M55, which Moto says would fill an important gap.
With the M55 being a relatively lightly-trafficked road, this would be one of their smaller service areas. Early sketches show that parking for 361 cars, 63 HGVs, 10 caravans and 6 coaches would be provided, along with electric vehicle charging points and a fuel filling station.
Even so, in line with the new government policy, it would need to fulfil all the requirements expected of a motorway service area. In the past, this would have meant building a large restaurant which would make the project uneconomic, but these days a small coffee shop is likely to suffice. Another change is that the new policy calls for all motorways to have HGV parking every 14 miles, and although this was probably written with busier motorways in mind, this technicality may well be crucial to the planning process.
The proposal is still in the early stages and the details are likely to change a lot. For example, one omission from the current proposal that sticks out is the lack of the usual drive thru coffee shop, especially considering this is the junction of two commuter routes. It also doesn't yet have a name: the junction is called 'Becconsall Bridge', the nearest village has the amusing name 'Woodplumpton', and although Moto are most likely to use the generic name 'Preston', there is something catchy about 'Preston North Western'.
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