New Welcome Break service station with Starbucks off the M1 near Sheffield set to be built despite long wait

Plans for the new facilities near junction 33 of the motorway at Catcliffe were approved by Rotherham Council just over a year ago, but construction has yet to get underway. A spokeswoman for Welcome Break said the firm ‘don’t have an update on the project at the moment’ and declined to answer when asked why there had been no obvious progress over the last 12 months. It is not known when work is set to begin, how long it is likely to take and when the service station could open.

The plans approved were for a 32,000 sq ft main building consisting of a retail area, toilets, gaming area, and concession units on the ground floor, with a business lounge and conference rooms on a mezzanine floor. The 24/7 service station would also have a drive-thru Starbucks and a petrol station, and a car park with spaces for 460 cars and 76 HGVs.

The main building would be on the north side of the M1, with parking to the south, and a new slip road would be created, enabling vehicles leaving the service station to access the M1 via Catcliffe Roundabout. The developers previously said the site could create 300 jobs.

Ward councillors had objected to the proposals on the grounds of noise and air pollution, extra traffic, and flooding, but the plans were approved at Rotherham Council’s planning board meeting on November 4.