Motorway Services Online

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Revision as of 20:25, 27 July 2022

Location:

A256 northbound between Sandwich and Ramsgate

Signposted from the road.

Postcode:

CT13 9NL

map and directions

Access/Layout:

Single site located between junctions on one side of the road..

Just beyond the town of Sandwich is an official service area on the A256.

Facilities

Catering: KFC Drive Thru Forecourt: Esso, Shop'N Drive, Costa Express, AdBlue Containers, Car Wash

Parking Prices

Customer car parking is provided. No HGV access is permitted.

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

Contact Details

🏢 Address:
Esso Service Station
Filling Station
Ramsgate Road
Sandwich
Kent
CT13 9NL

🌍 Operators & Official Websites:

Restaurant operated by KFC
Forecourt operated by Rontec
📌 what3words: ///dilute.roaming.sneezing
more map options

Trivia and History

There is a forecourt on either side of the dual carriageway, but only the northbound side is treated as an official service area. The two nearby roundabouts make it easy to swap between the two.

This service area was first proposed in 1987, by Kent County Council's Property Supplies & Services Group. At the time, the A256 was a single carriageway road running through the industrial landscape at Port Richborough. The road already had a Texaco forecourt - confusingly also called 'Richborough service station' - on the southbound side, but the road was about to be straightened to remove the 'Weatherlees Bend', which would leave the council with some redundant land on the northbound side between the old road and the new.

The proposal was pursued by Heron, who wanted to build a small forecourt with an 80-seat restaurant positioned to the south. The forecourt opened in around 1992 under Elf branding. This later became Total.

Further plans were put forward to develop the restaurant in 2007. This eventually opened in late 2021 as a drive thru KFC. Unusually, the entrance was provided directly onto the A256, rather than from within the service area itself. Even so, the local authority decided at this point to treat the complex as an official service area. It is very unusual for local authorities to designate new service areas with full signage, but Kent does seem to be particularly keen on them.

Before this happened, the A256 was widened again 2012, this time becoming a dual carriageway. Access to both forecourts was maintained and the new Ebbsfleet Roundabout allowed traffic to turn around.

The Total forecourt was sold to Rontec in 2013, with it rebranding to Esso.

Alternatives

Previous:		Next:
Jubilee (A2 south, 13 miles)	Services on the A256	Minster (A299 west, 4 miles)

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 |hgvs = no }}
-A couple of petrol stations on the Sandwich bypass which has only recently been acknowledged as an official service area.
+Just beyond the town of Sandwich is an official service area on the A256.
 ==Facilities==
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 ==Trivia and History==
-[[File:KFC Sandwich 2022.jpg|250px|thumb|right|alt=KFC drive thru.|The new KFC development.]]
+[[File:Richborough Total.jpg|250px|thumb|right|alt=Total forecourt.|The forecourt with Total branding, pictured in 2011.]]
-There is a forecourt on either side of the dual carriageway, although the two roundabouts makes it easy to move between the two. This was the case even when the A256 was a single carriageway road, with the two forecourts being almost side-by-side.
+There is a forecourt on either side of the dual carriageway, but only the northbound side is treated as an official service area. The two nearby roundabouts make it easy to swap between the two.
-Both forecourts are very small and with the A256 being a relatively minor road on the urban fringe, there was no push to acknowledge them as service areas. Following the construction of the new [[KFC]] in late 2021, the northbound service area was provided with formal advance signing by Kent County Council.
+This service area was first proposed in 1987, by Kent County Council's Property Supplies & Services Group. At the time, the A256 was a single carriageway road running through the industrial landscape at Port Richborough. The road already had a [[Texaco]] forecourt - confusingly also called 'Richborough service station' - on the southbound side, but the road was about to be straightened to remove the 'Weatherlees Bend', which would leave the council with some redundant land on the northbound side between the old road and the new.
-It is very unusual for any local authority to provide full service area signage. While this particular service area doesn't permit HGVs, Kent does have a lot of issues with HGV parking, and this may be why the council are more attuned to service area policies.
+The proposal was pursued by Heron, who wanted to build a small forecourt with an 80-seat restaurant positioned to the south. The forecourt opened in around 1992 under [[Elf]] branding. This later became [[Total]].
+Further plans were put forward to develop the restaurant in 2007. This eventually opened in late 2021 as a drive thru [[KFC]]. Unusually, the entrance was provided directly onto the A256, rather than from within the service area itself. Even so, the local authority decided at this point to treat the complex as an official service area. It is very unusual for local authorities to designate new service areas with full signage, but Kent does seem to be particularly keen on them.
+Before this happened, the A256 was widened again 2012, this time becoming a dual carriageway. Access to both forecourts was maintained and the new Ebbsfleet Roundabout allowed traffic to turn around.
+The Total forecourt was sold to [[Rontec]] in 2013, with it rebranding to [[Esso]].
 ==Alternatives==