Written question asked by Lord Hammond of Runnymede (Conservative) on Tuesday, 23 January 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 31 January 2001. It was answered by Keith Hill (Labour) on Wednesday, 31 January 2001 on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Dept of the Environment Transport and the Regions

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, if it remains the policy of his Department that a motorway service area is required on the south western quadrant of the M25 motorway; if he will make it his policy that in future considerations of planning applications and appeals in respect of motorway service areas on the M25 south western quadrant, each application and appeal is considered without a presumption that at least one of the proposed sites must be successful. - Includes ref to 31 July 1998 at 317 c611-2W.

Answer: Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if it remains the policy of his Department that a motorway service area is required on the south-western quadrant of the M25 motorway; [147418] (2) if he will make it his policy that in future considerations of planning applications and appeals in respect of motorway service areas on the M25 south western quadrant, each application and appeal is considered without a presumption that at least one of the proposed sites must be successful. [147624] Mr. Hill: The statement to the House by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Ms Jackson), on 31 July 1998, Official Report, column 6, described the Government's policy on the spacing of motorway service areas (MSAs). It explained that this policy was likely to mean that there would be either one or two MSAs on the western side of the M25. The policy did not, and does not, necessarily require an MSA on the south western sector. Proposals will therefore be considered on their individual planning merits and there is no presumption that either a site within this sector, or any other currently proposed M25 MSA, must be successful.

Secondary information