| Road: | M26 at J2A (also accessible to traffic on the A20) |
| Address: | Wrotham Water Farm, Wrotham, Kent |
| Signposted from the road? | It will be |
| Services type: | Single site located at a junction |
⚠️ Please note that this service area is not yet open.
Moto eventually secured planning permission to build Wrotham truckstop on the M26 in Kent.
The facility will be built on green belt land close to both the M25 and the M20, at Wrotham Water Farm. A new roundabout will be provided on the A20, leading to a large forecourt, attached to a facilities building. A secured parking area for 195 HGVs will be provided further round.
Numerous objections were received from residents, referring to the noise and traffic. After the project was refused planning permission and then won an appeal, Wrotham Parish Council are now expected to launch a High Court appeal, arguing that the inspectorate's decision to call this land "grey belt" was inaccurate.
The subject of HGV parking in Kent has become especially tense and pertinent since Brexit changed the flow of trade through Dover - the M26 here is one of the appointed stacking points in the event of port disruption. In fact, right across the UK, this would be the first 'motorway truckstop' to be built since such a concept was formally defined in 2008, showing just how slowly things have moved.
As the regulations for truckstops are different to those for full service areas, a truckstop here could qualify for signage from M20 J2 and J3, too.
Planning History
See also: M20 Planning Applications
When the M20 was completed in 1991, it was notoriously opened without any service areas. The middle and southern sections were eventually dealt with, but the northern section, despite a service area being planned as early as 1977, remains unresolved. With the increase in port traffic, this is particularly a problem for HGV drivers, who struggle to find a space at any of the nearby service areas.
Moto said they had been examining numerous possible locations in Kent, with Kent County Council themselves having spent a lot of time researching HGV parking capacity in their county. They ruled out proposing a full motorway service area here because they felt there was already suitable provision for cars nearby, with a small number of car parking spaces here being made available for staff.
This proposal entered the consultation phase in 2021, but planning permission was refused in April 2022, on the grounds that it was an inappropriate use of the green belt and Kent Downs AONB. A secondary application was raised in March 2023 and refused in February 2024. Moto then appealed that decision in July 2024, with the public inquiry awarding them planning permission in February 2025, after the inspector argued that the need for more HGV parking in Kent was "clear and compelling". Moto confirmed in April 2025 that they intended to take this forward, but Wrotham Parish Council are now expected to appeal the latest development.
Site History
The A20 London Road is the historic route to the coast, and has always been an important transport corridor.
Even once the M26 was eventually completed, its junction with the A20 was still a popular stopping point. A large lay-by (next to where Moto's new roundabout would be built) received heavy use, but was closed in 2020 as part of the Brexit contingency plan. The well-known Oakdene Café was positioned opposite and catered for a lot of HGVs and bikers, but this closed in February 2021 and is expected to be converted into industrial units.
Not long after the M26 was completed, Esso proposed building a service area in this very spot. They specifically said it wasn't trying to be a full motorway service area, but would have a restaurant building, car parking spaces and a forecourt. This was refused planning permission in 1992, with the appeal saying it would be inappropriate to build it on green belt land and an intrusion on the countryside.
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Area Map
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🗺 Grid reference: TQ625586 | See SABRE Maps for historic maps | See GeoHack for modern layers