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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New images released of Piccadilly Gardens as transformation plans take a big step forward
Daisy Jackson
Plans to transform Piccadilly Gardens to make them more ‘colourful, vibrant and safe’ have taken a big step forward today, with new images released.
Manchester City Council has shared the vision to the public ahead of a planning application being submitted this summer.
The plans to finally give Piccadilly Gardens some love were revealed last autumn, but things are now moving at pace with a delivery team appointed to design and build the new public space.
The new images show the vision for more green space, including lawns, trees, planting, seating, and colourful horticultural displays.
The temperamental fountains will also be removed for good, replaced with a new space called The Pavilion which will host family-friendly events.
The low concrete walls and raised planters at the edge of the gardens will be ripped out, improving the setting of the Queen Victoria statue.
There’ll be a new, larger playground for younger children, created in the same high quality style as the new parks at Mayfield Park and Ancoats Green.
A pre-planning consultation has started today and will run until Wednesday 15 July, with plans to submit the final planning application later this summer.
The new-look play area at Piccadilly GardensPlans for the new Piccadilly Gardens from above
The council has said that these new designs reflect feedback from the public and opinions on what we want to see at the new Piccadilly Gardens.
Council Leader Cllr Bev Craig said: “We’re getting on with sorting out Piccadilly Gardens. We all want to see a space which Mancunians can be proud of – a welcoming and attractive environment which people want to spend time in.
“So as well other initiatives which are delivering more police and more CCTV, we’re bringing forward this scheme to transform the public space. That means investment in more flowers, more greenery, a new welcome pavilion, a new and bigger playground and an altogether more inviting Piccadilly Gardens. A bright new chapter is just around the corner.”
Further planned improvements to the area around Piccadilly Gardens in the coming years will include a multi-million pound investment by Transport for Greater Manchester to create a new, modern transport interchange.
Council calls on Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use
Emily Sergeant
Residents across Manchester are being called on to help bring hundreds of empty homes across the region back into use.
Since the beginning of this year, a major review has been underway around the city’s draft strategy for bringing empty homes back into use to help meet demand for affordable homes across the city, while also improving communities by tackling empty homes that can blight an area… but now, Manchester City Council needs your help.
Following a major public consultation, the Council is now acting on feedback to accelerate plans to bring as many long-term empty homes back into active use as possible.
Although the number of long-term empty homes in Manchester is near a historic low, with the Council having managed to reduce the number by more than half since 2013, there is still more work to be done.
“Every void property is a missed opportunity to provide a family a place to live, reduce homelessness, and lessen the burden on temporary accommodation,” the Council said in a statement.
The Council is calling on the Manchester public to help bring hundreds of empty homes back into use / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
So, how can residents help then? What do you need to do if you spot an empty home on a street nearby?
Well, the easiest way to report an empty home is to report the issue online here, or by emailing [email protected]. And then once that’s done, a team of dedicated empty homes officers will take up the case to find out who owns the property and work with the owner on a plan to bring the home back into use.
The vast number of empty homes are privately owned with complex histories, and there are some cases where an owner may have passed away.
While working collaboratively with housing providers, voluntary organisations and public services are also a key element of detecting potentially empty or ‘problematic’ homes to repurpose them.
Officers can also support, where required, if a communication or language poses a barrier to resolving an empty home issue.
Tailored approaches to different communities – where empty homes impact neighbourhoods in different ways – are also being considered, according to the Council.
“To think, if we could bring all empty homes back into use, then we could provide more homes for those on the housing register and take pressure off the whole housing system,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s executive member for housing and development.
“The potential of making empty homes a thing of the past is huge for Manchester families looking for a place to call home – and a significant part of tackling the housing crisis.”
Emily Sergeant -
19th October 2023 
