GL7 5DS
map and directions
Single site located at a junction.
The only major facility on the fast road between Swindon and Gloucester, known locally as Hare Bushes service station.
Facilities
Catering: Burger King, Greggs Amenities: Travelodge Outdoor Space: Grass verge by hotel Forecourt: Shell, Co-op Food, Chicago Town Pizza, Costa Express, Rollover, Car Wash, Jet Wash, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
Short stay customer parking is available for all vehicles, including 5 large vehicle bays at the back of the filling station.
No overnight HGV parking is available.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Burford Road
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7 5DS
Trivia and History
The Little Chef dining area in its final weeks.
During the planning for the A417 Cirencester Bypass, the Highways Agency raised the issue that the road would lose out on the facilities in the town. This included the original Cirencester branch of Little ChefHistory, which had opened on Crickdale Road in the early 1980s.
Spurred on by this, Forte and Total secured planning permission for a new Little Chef restaurant, a Forte Travelodge hotel and a Total filling station to be built on this site, which was initially named Harebushes service station.
When the new road opened in 1997, the original Little Chef closed. Their new owner, Granada, pushed ahead with the new complex, but partnering with Petromar instead.
Opening
The site eventually opened in 2002, by which point Little Chef was under a third owner, Compass. They launched it under the Little Chef Choices brand, with Caffè Ritazza and Harry Ramsden's menus and a Burger King unit. The Travelodge hotel also opened, and the forecourt was branded Somerfield.
All the buildings on site were built with Cotswold stone brickwork. There were plans for a second site to be built at M5 J11A, but that one was never built.
The Little Chef restaurant later gained a Coffee Tempo! unit. The Burger King was closed and advertised for let. It reopened in 2013, and the site received a thorough refurbishment, although not quite to the standard of Wonderfully British scheme.
Following The Co-operative Group's acquisition of Somerfield, the filling station was rebranded to Texaco in 2010, with the shop becoming a Co-op Food store.
Recent Changes
During early 2017, the filling station was rebranded to Co-op Petrol.
The Little Chef restaurant and its Burger King franchise were passed to Euro Garages in February 2017, who only held the rights to use the Little Chef name for a year. As one of their biggest and busiest sites, Euro Garages didn't seem to know what to do with it: their preferred brand partner, Starbucks, wouldn't share the building with the Burger King.
Time ran out in January 2018, so the restaurant changed to the temporary name EG Diner. The building closed on 3 June 2018, ahead of expected refurbishment works, but these didn't begin for several months. The former restaurant reopened as a Greggs in November 2018, with a refurbished Burger King opening in December 2018.
The petrol station is one of 13 petrol stations that The Co-operative Group sold to placate the Competition and Markets Authority in 2023. As part of the transition, the fuel supplier changed to Shell on 28 January 2024.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Centurion (6 miles) | Services on the A417 | Calcutt (A419 northbound, 8 miles) Seven Bridges (A419 southbound, 8 miles) |
| Chippenham Pit Stop (20 miles) | Services on the A429 | Rowborough (27 miles) |