Guide to Ferrybridge services

The last official services on the M62, Ferrybridge was hurt when the A1 through the junction was given a by-pass away from the road. A1 traffic can still access it, but it's not as easy as it once was.

Facilities

Catering: Burger King, Costa Coffee, Greggs, KFC, Pret A Manger, Costa Express, f'real Milkshakes, Krispy Kreme, Tango Ice Blast Shops: M&S Simply Food, WHSmith Amenities: Travelodge, Changing Places, Full Hou$e, Lucky Coin, Showers Outdoor Space: No grass space Charging Points: GRIDSERVE Electric Highway HPC 350kW CCS, 100kW CHAdeMO & 22kW Type 2; Tesla Supercharger 250kW CCS Forecourt: BP, Shop, Greggs, Costa Express, Car Wash

Parking Prices

First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £31. HGVs can pay £34 to include a £10 food voucher.

Prices are paid in the shop or by using JustPark. The location code is 625127.

HGVs can also pay by using SNAP. The location code is 13453.

The fees are strictly enforced by GroupNexus.

This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.

Contact Details

Trivia and History

The service area opened on 2 February 1985, though Granada recorded the opening as April 1985, probably suggesting the opening was phased. The Granada Lodge opened in 1987.

It was built with a tall building, with large windows at the far end which allowed a lot of light to enter via the seating area. This also made it easy to hide all the utilities while maintaining a smooth design. Upon opening the building was described as "modern" and "tastefully furnished". It cost £2 million to develop.

It was soon noted that 1,200 people a day were passing through the doors, but most weren't spending any money. 90 jobs had been created, 90% of which were occupied by females.

In August 2000, Which? claimed that this was the worst service station in the country, highlighting the poor service in Fresh Express.

Roadchef registered an early impact assessment for a potential rival to Ferrybridge in April 2019, further up the A1(M) at J42. They claimed that the road layout at Ferrybridge was putting tired motorists off.

Junction and Planning

See also: M62 Planning Applications

As soon as you leave the roundabout to enter the service area the road splits into two: left for cars and coaches, right for lorries. The suddenness of this catches many people out each day.

This was the first service area to be developed privately and without a nudge from the government, hence the profitable location with only one building where previously four would have been needed. It was built on the site of an old warehouse which already had access from the roundabout. The owner of the land sought planning permission for a service station in 1977, and then advertised the land before selling it to Granada. They had previously suggested it be used for a transport café or hotel.

The Department of Transport initially said they were "very concerned" about this approach to development, and they were reluctant to put any signs up. They eventually conceded that, while they would normally invite anybody to bid to run the service area, chances were nobody would have made an offer - as Hensall had proven. They later agreed to negotiate directly with interested developers in other locations, which they called "private initiative" and "an excellent example of private enterprise".

The service area included 45 HGV parking spaces. Many signs were placed on the A1, in addition to those on the M62, despite the A1 already having a JET forecourt at Knottingley, and the service area at Darrington.

The volume of traffic using the junction was eventually reduced when the new A1(M) opened in 2006, creating a convoluted route for bypassed traffic wishing to use the facilities.

A farm access called Cattlelaith Lane is accessed from within the service area, and prominently signposted all around. One of the original direction signs, which was in the middle of the roundabout, was only removed in 2013.

Changes

Like most services, the front of the building has been brought forwards over the years. When it first opened, the lobby led immediately to the restaurant area (Country Kitchen), with seating on the right, a shop on the immediate left, and toilets behind them. The restaurant was soon replaced with an entirely free-flow layout (Fresh Express and Caffè Ritazza).

In 1996, Burger King and Little Chef restaurants were added to a new section at the front of the building. The shop was brought forwards too. The forecourt changed from Mobil to BP, and the Granada Lodge became Travelodge.

In 1998, Granada turned Ferrybridge into what it called a 'mini shopping centre'. A long corridor was added to the entrance, taking customers past four small shops. A Ladbrokes was added too, with a separate entrance at the front of the building.

The Little Chef lasted until 2008, making it one of the last on the motorway network. It was eventually replaced by another Costa.

The shopping experiment didn't last. Most of the units closed, and by 2013 the ones on the left had become M&S Simply Food, while the units to the right of the corridor were now storage units and game arcades. The partitions added along the main corridor means the first impression of the service area would no longer be one of large windows, but beige walls and a narrow walkway.

The restaurant, which had evolved from Fresh Express into EDC, was replaced by a trial fish and chip shop called Ernie's in 2013. The Ernie's experiment lasted until 2015, when it was replaced by a small Costa café. This was eventually joined by an EDC counter, much smaller than the previous one, and this had gone on to be one of the last remaining EDCs in the country with it eventually closing in 2019. The Ladbrokes closed and was converted to Greggs, maintaining its dedicated entrance.

Plans for a Costa Drive Thru kiosk and lane were granted in July 2017, to be built at the back of the car park. Moto intended to add this but have since added the first six of twelve GRIDSERVE high-powered charging points in June 2023 on this piece of land instead. They are powered by second-life batteries and biofuel, to allow them to be activated before the grid is ready to power them.

The site was thoroughly refurbished in early 2022, to create a new food court in the centre of the building. The new food court hosts a larger Costa store, opened on the 8 April 2022 by The Services King, along with a KFC restaurant that opened on 31 May 2022. These were then joined by a relocated Greggs store, which replaced the previous externally accessed store, and a Pret A Manger store, which opened on 20 June 2022.

The toilets were also refurbished, and 12 new Tesla Superchargers were provided in the car park. Two separate male and female shower blocks and a Changing Places toilet were later added in early 2023. The site also now uses Moto's new corporate branding.

Alternatives

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