Plans for a new luxury service station on the M56 near Manchester are set to be approved at a planning meeting next week.
It’s no exaggeration to say Tatton Services would be so much more than your average service station.
Coming from the Westmoreland Family and the Tatton Estate, the former of which is the company behind the stunning Tebay Services, and its equally-as-stunning sister sites down near Gloucester and up near Lanark in Scotland, Tatton Services would pop up on a stretch of the M56 just miles from Manchester, making it the ideal stop-off for us lot when we’re heading on long journeys.
If you’re not familiar with Tebay, it’s also known as the little slice of motorway services heaven just off the M6 in Cumbria, and it just so happens to have been named the best service station in the country in a new survey.
Tebay has gained somewhat of a cult following, and is known and loved for its lakeside setting and rural surroundings, stunning spacious interior with vaulted ceilings, the wealth of cafes and restaurants serving up dishes home-cooked on site, and its farm shop selling all sorts of local produce.
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Plans for a new luxury service station on M56 near Manchester set to be approved / Credit: Tatton Services
So if Tatton Services even comes remotely close to resembling this – and it certainly sounds like it would do – then we’re in for a real treat.
The proposed Tatton Services could be built near junctions seven and eight of the M56, which is not far from Altrincham and Manchester Airport.
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Plans have been submitted to Cheshire East Council by the Westmoreland Family and Tatton Estate as part of the 80/20 partnership, and if approved, the site would feature a farm shop, a kitchen, a 100-bed hotel, a petrol station and several electric vehicle charging points, and so much more, as well as creating 558 jobs during its expected two-year construction, and eventually employing 223 staff.
The plans have been recommended for approval by Cheshire East Council before it goes to its planning committee next week, despite their being 150 letters of objection submitted.
Tatton Services is the latest venture from Tebay owners, the Westmoreland Family / Credit: Tatton Services
The letters of objection – which crucially included one from Trafford Council – were submitted on the basis that the service station would be built on green belt land, and would therefore be inappropriate for the area.
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But about 30 letters of support were received from local residents, business organisations, and other companies to outweigh this.
When recommending the scheme for approval, planning officers at Cheshire East Council said, although it would be an inappropriate development in the green belt, the harm was “clearly outweighed by the need for the proposal”.
They cited highways safety benefits, economic benefits, and opportunities for employment and local businesses as positives.
Planning officers did, however, note that due to the scale and nature of the Tatton Services proposal, the plans would need to be referred to the Secretary of State.
The plans will be discussed by Cheshire East Council’s strategic planning board on 25 October.
Featured Image – Tatton Services
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Government to begin giving millions of UK workers ‘significant’ pay rises from this week
Emily Sergeant
The Government is to begin giving more than three million workers across the UK a ‘significant pay boost’ from this week.
Announced as part of last year’s Budget, and in a bid to ‘put thousands of pounds back in the pockets of working people every year’, the Government confirmed back at the beginning of February that a new National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour, and a new National Minimum Wage of £10 per hour would take effect from April onwards.
Ministers said the 6.7% increase to the National Living Wage – which is now worth £1,400 a year for an eligible full-time worker – is a ‘significant step’ towards delivering the manifesto commitment to deliver a ‘genuine’ living wage.
Today, millions of working people will get a pay rise as the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage increase.
New rates:
🔹 from £11.44 to £12.21 if you’re 21 and over 🔹 from £8.60 to £10.00 if you’re 18-20 🔹 from £6.40 to £7.55 if you’re under 18 or an apprentice
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 1, 2025
On top of this, the National Minimum Wage for 18-20-year-olds is also set to go up by a record increase of £1.40 an hour, which means full-time younger workers eligible for the rate will see their pay boosted by £2,500 a year.
The minimum wage pay boot has also been called the first step towards removing the ‘unfair’ age-bands that see a 21-year-old getting paid more than a 20-year-old for doing the same job.
According to the Government, this is also the first time the National Living Wage has taken into account the cost of living and inflation.
Three million UK workers will be getting a ‘significant’ pay rise from this week / Credit: Pexels
“In the last Parliament, living standards were the worst on record and sky-high inflation was crushing working people’s finances,” commented Chancellor Rachel Reeves, explaining why the pay boosts are being introduced.
“Making work pay is good for workers, will strengthen businesses’ workforces, and will grow our economy for years to come.
“It’s a key milestone on my number one mission to get more money in people’s pockets as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
Not only that, but the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice is also set to be boosted later this year too, with an 18-year-old apprentice seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by 18% to £7.55 an hour.
As a result of these particular changes, a further four million workers also could benefit from the positive spill-over impacts of the rate increases.
Featured Image –
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Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
19th October 2023 
