Stafford services
M6 northbound between J14 and J15
Signposted from the road.
ST15 0EU
map and directions
Two sites staggered between junctions, with no public connection between them..
A popular but busy service station on the northbound side of the M6, with southbound traffic being sent to Roadchef's almost-as-good Stafford (South). This side of the services is well known for its large lake and garden.
Facilities
Catering: Burger King, Chozen Noodle, Costa Coffee, Greggs, West Cornwall Pasty Co., Costa Express, Krispy Kreme, Costa Drive Thru Shops: M&S Simply Food, WHSmith Amenities: Children's Play Area, Field, Free Cash Machine, Lucky Coin, Showers : Travelodge Template:Charging points Forecourt: BP, Shop, M&S Food, Wild Bean Café, Air1 AdBlue, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
First 2 hours free for all vehicles, after which cars must pay £15 and HGVs, caravans and motorhomes £25.50. HGVs can pay £27.50 to include a £10 food voucher.
Prices are paid using PayByPhone. The location code is 2463.
The fees are strictly enforced by CP Plus.
This information is provided to us by third parties. You should always check with staff on site.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Moto Hospitality
M6 Northbound
Stafford Motorway Service Area
Stone
Staffordshire
ST15 0EU
- Amenity building and hotel operated by Moto
- Forecourt operated by bp express
- Foursquare Page
- 📞 Telephone number: 01785 811188
- 📌 what3words: ///gift.widest.chap
- more map options
Trivia and History
The service area opened in 1996, earlier than its southbound partner, which is the key to why they are so different.
This is possibly the only service area to double-up a dog walking field with an overflow car park, changing between the two as necessary.
Design and Construction
See also: M6 Planning Applications
The first planning application was made by the Agricultural & Food Research Council in 1993, and the proposal was known as Cold Norton. Mobil bought the site from them for £10m, and then worked with Granada as a joint investment. Granada soon purchased the land that the whole site is built on.
At the same time Granada put in an application to build a southbound service area directly opposite, but they were beaten to it.
Both the northbound service area and the planned southbound side were deliberately set back from the road by 67 metres to allow for the M6 to be fully widened, as has been planned several times. Space was also left for the B5026 to be re-aligned. The first plans (dated 1993) didn't account for this and were rejected as a result.
When it opened, the services trialled a new brand identity which was quickly adopted nationwide by Granada. As part of the changes, the service area was one of the first to use polished wood instead of dirty carpets; it had stands with local information; it boasted more spacious toilets and, for a brief period, staff were positioned to welcome customers and hand them ashtrays if necessary. The new ideology followed extensive research by Granada to establish what customers wanted; the design work was by Pentagram.
The official opening date was recorded as 1 April 1996, but Granada say it actually opened on 30 March. It's likely that a dry run was held.
One of the early drawings had a square amenity building in the centre of the complex, with the lake being within the motorway loops.
Changes
When it opened, there was a Retail Store on the immediate right. This became WHSmith, and was then moved back by taking away the public telephones. This plus an extension made space for M&S Simply Food.
On the left, an office became Birthdays and then Fone Bitz. It was then closed to create a new, open-plan Burger King seating area, which in turn created space for Greggs to be built at the front of the building.
At the back, space was designated for a waitress-service restaurant. This opened as Rock Island Diner, then became Little Chef, before becoming an open-plan Caffè Ritazza, later Costa.
The coffee bar was originally supposed to be at the side, but opened at the centre.
The forecourt was operated by Mobil until their merger with Esso. The forecourt shop used to feature a Burger King with drive-thru lane alongside the shop, but this was later removed due to a lack of custom. A sign opposite the forecourt exit now advises customers that it is a 'short drive back to the main building' to use the main Burger King restaurant following the closure.
Moto later sold the forecourt to BP, who wasted no time in adding an M&S Simply Food and Wild Bean Café. In summer 2016, BP removed the M&S Simply Food offering, rebranding the store to one of their BP Connect sites.
During early 2018, the EDC restaurant was refurbished and reduced in size to make way for a Chow Asian Kitchen unit. As part of this refurbishment, EDC gained a refreshed look as well as a branding update. This unit then closed in autumn 2019 along with the remaining EDC units across the country.
A Millie's Cookies cabinet was here for a time next to the Krispy Kreme cabinet outside WHSmith however this has since been removed.
bp pulse electric vehicle charging points were installed here in 2020 however they are yet to be switched on.
The site is currently undergoing major refurbishment works which will see a new KFC restaurant and new Pret A Manger store both added to the main building along with Moto's first Chozen Noodle unit, replacing the existing Chow unit. The site is also expected to gain an electric vehicle charging hub including 12 new Tesla Superchargers along with six new GRIDSERVE chargers. Works are due to be complete in June 2022. As part of the works, the Costa store also received a minor refurbishment in March 2022.
Alternatives
| Previous: | Next: | |
| Stafford (South) (M6 southbound, 1 mile) Hilton Park (18 miles) Norton Canes (M6 Toll, 21 miles) | Services on the M6 | Keele (11 miles) |
| Knutsford (35 miles) | Moto services | Hilton Park (18 miles) |
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