Nacton Heath services
(former)
| Road: | A14 eastbound between J57 and J58 (Google Maps link) |
| Address: | A14 Eastbound Nacton Ipswich Suffolk IP10 0DD |
| Opened: | 1994? |
| Closed: | 2007 |
| Services type: | Single site located between junctions on one side of the road. |
Some time after the A45 Ipswich Southern Bypass opened, an exit was added between J57 and J58 for a future development at Purdis Farm.
In 1988 Shepherd And Dog Piggeries, whose land it was, proposed building a service area here. This opened in around 1994 as a Mobil forecourt and an adjacent McDonald's restaurant, known as Nacton Heath services. It is not clear if it was ever officially signposted from the road.
The Mobil branding changed to BP, and then in 2002 BP closed the petrol station. It was demolished and turned into Orwell Crossing lorry park.
In 2005, Suffolk Coastal District Council issued an enforcement notice against the lorry park, arguing that it was not authorised to sell food to car drivers. Their position appeared to be that the sliproads in and out of the lorry park were not safe and the number of vehicles using them had to be kept low, even though the adjacent McDonald's was continuing to trade with a drive thru that only catered for cars.
The McDonald's did close in 2006. It was abandoned for a few years, and has now become part of the lorry park.
The Highways Agency provided no road signs for the lorry park, for fear of overloading the sliproad, leaving it as an unusual example of an exit with absolutely no information provided at all.
The lorry park and its restaurant continue to trade. Shepherd And Dog Piggeries are likely to use the truckstop as their main entrance once their level crossing access is closed.