A13 between the M25 and Basildon, Essex
Signposted from the road.
RM16 3BJ
map and directions
Two sites located between junctions, with no public connection between them.
Fast, wide and very industrial: the A13 still finds time for a service station only a few miles outside of London.
Facilities
Catering: westbound only: McDonald's Drive Thru Outdoor Space: Grass verges next to forecourts (extreme caution needed) Forecourt: BP, M&S Food, Wild Bean Café, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
Parking and use of both forecourts is limited to 30 minutes maximum stay from entry to exit and is strictly enforced by BP, whilst parking within the McDonald's car park is limited to 90 minutes maximum stay and is strictly enforced by MET Parking.
No HGV parking is available on either side.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
A13 Stanford-le-Hope Bypass
Orsett
Grays
Essex
RM16 3BJ
Trivia and History
Plans for a pair of service areas here date back to January 1986, when Mobil proposed a set of toilets be built on either side of the roads. That July, the proposed toilets were joined by a pair of filling stations and a restaurant on each side. The forecourts opening in 1988 and were known as Orsett Cock services.
The plans for a restaurant on each side persisted for some time. In 1989, Kelly's Kitchen planned to open a pair of restaurants here but were unable to secure planning permission. Forte submitted plans to add a Little Chef to each side in 1992, but the westbound McDonald's was also proposed and opened in 1994. A Little ChefHistory was later able to open on the eastbound side in 1995.
When Granada acquired Little Chef, they planned to add a 40-bed Travelodge, but their plans were refused.
Changes
Following the merger of BP and Mobil, the filling stations were rebranded to BP in around 1999. In 2001, both filling stations were planned to receive site refurbishments introducing new sales buildings, canopies, car washes and parking bays to each site however these plans were refused. Following another refusal, the westbound refurbishment was finally granted planning permission in 2005.
The Little Chef closed in 2005. Following the closure, BP were granted planning permission to demolish the former restaurant and use the land for a lorry park, however this didn't happen.
The westbound filling station became a BP Connect site in 2008, receiving a M&S Simply Food store and Wild Bean Café in the process. In 2010, the eastbound filling station received another site refurbishment which saw the sales building relocate for the centre of the site to the east of the site. As part of the refurbishment, the site also became one of BP's BP Connect sites, receiving a M&S Simply Food store and a Wild Bean Café too.
The former Little Chef building was leased by Thurrock Council to Sigma Studies in 2011, who use the building as a transport centre. They purchased the building from the local authority in 2016.
The westbound BP forecourt underwent a refurbishment in early 2023, with two new BP Pulse electric vehicle charging points being added which are yet to go live.
Alternatives
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| Thurrock (7 miles) | Services on the A13 | none nearby |