Motorway Services Online

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Liphook services

Location:

A3 between Hindhead and Petersfield

Signposted from the road.

Postcode:

GU30 7TT

map and directions

Access/Layout:

Two sites located between junctions, with no public connection between them.

Rating:


A pair of filling stations near the Hindhead Tunnel. The northbound side is much larger and includes a choice of drive thrus.

Facilities

Catering: northbound only: McDonald's Drive Thru, Starbucks Drive Thru Outdoor Space: on both sides: Grass verges next to filling stations
plus northbound only: Children's Play Area
Forecourt: Shell, Select, Little Waitrose & Partners, Deli by Shell, Costa Express, Free Cash Machine

Parking Prices

Short stay customer parking is available for all vehicles on both sides. No overnight parking is available.

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

Contact Details

🏢 Address:
Liphook Service Station
Liphook By-Pass
Liphook
Hampshire
GU30 7TT


Trivia and History

Little Chef Liphook.jpg
The Little Chef restaurant, pictured in 2010.

Camera icon

Forecourts opened 1992
Restaurant opened as Little Chef 1994
Restaurant closed 2012
Restaurant reopened as Starbucks 2013

The opening of the Liphook Bypass would cause a problem for the facilities along the old road, which included a Forte Happy Eater in Rake and a Jet-branded filling station in Liphook.

While work was underway, in 1989 the two worked on a plan to develop a pair of forecourts and Little Chef restaurantsHistory, known as Griggs Green service station.

The two forecourts opened with Jet branding with the new road, in July 1992. The Rake Happy Eater reported a significant drop in trade, but its replacement didn't open until winter 1994, known as the Liphook North branch of Little Chef. This was accompanied by a Travelodge hotel, and allowed it to be signed as a full service area. The old Happy Eater had already closed.

There was a long battle to build a restaurant on the southbound side which was given up in 2001. An independent plan for a 40-bed hotel and restaurant on the southbound side was granted planning permission in 2010, but was never built.

The forecourts were both sold to Shell.

Rebirth

The Little Chef closed in July 2012 and the Travelodge closed in August 2013. The restaurant building was purchased by 23.5 Degrees who opened the first ever franchised Starbucks store here on 6 February 2013. The hotel was later acquired by Metro Inns.

Both filling stations underwent refurbishment in early 2018. Shell have proposed adding 16 new charging points to the southbound forecourt.

Metro Inns encountered financial difficulties and closed on 24 July 2017. No buyer could be found for the hotel, and eventually it was suggested the building be turned into offices, while adding a drive thru to the existing coffee shop. These proposals were approved, but new plans were soon published that would see the hotel demolished and replaced with a drive thru McDonald's, with its own parking area.

The hotel was eventually demolished in June 2022, with the GeniePoint electric vehicle charger removed and previous parking area becoming part of the construction area. Meanwhile, the Starbucks store gained its drive-thru lane, reopening on 29 July 2022. The drive-thru lane is situated on the former staff parking area and a new car park was constructed along with it. The McDonald's Drive Thru then opened in December 2022.

Works are currently ongoing to install a new Shell Recharge electric vehicle charging hub on the southbound side. This is set to include six new high-powered chargers. Initial plans suggested that a 14-bay hub would be built on unused land at the back of the southbound site, but this has now been scaled back to utilise the existing parking area behind the southbound sales building.

Alternatives

Previous:Next:
Eashing (southbound, 11 miles)
Wisley (22 miles)
Services on the A3Petersfield (9 miles)

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