Further delays in woodland service station plan

Developers Extra MSA’s revised plan for junction 35 includes a hotel, 639-space car park and 3,000sq metres of food and retail space.

The station could create up to 300 full time jobs but would spell the end for much of the green belt at Smithy Wood, near Thorpe Hesley.

The application was originally submitted in March, 2014, and thousands of people have objected.

Extra MSA announced a large long-term conservation project surrounding the 27-acre site and pledged to plant two new woodland areas amounting to 60,000 trees as part of a mitigation package.

But now Sheffield City Council \_ which is responsible for Smithy Wood \_ said it was delaying a decision on the plans from this month until the end of February as planning officers have asked for more time to consider their recommendations, a request accepted by the developers.

In a letter to Extra’s agent, the Pegasus Group, council development management officer, Eleanor Ridge, said: “Whilst every endeavour has been made to reach a decision on your application within the statutory time, unfortunately this has not been possible because we have been working to address concerns with this application and this has taken some considerable time.”

Extra MSA said the service station was needed as drivers currently have to wait 42 miles between existing service stations on the neighbouring stretch of the M1 without access to services.

The application is opposed by groups including Cowley Residents Action Group and The Woodland Trust, who say it would be “incomprehensible” to allow a motorway service station to be built on top of a centuries-old habitat.

Rotherham Borough councillors were due to discuss the application at a planning board meeting last week as part of a courtesy consultation by their Sheffield colleagues, but the debate was deferred.