A1 Fernwood Welcome Break services wants to open with temporary access points prompting safety concerns

Safety concerns have been raised after Welcome Break asked to open its new service station at Fernwood before completing necessary permanent access works.

The company has applied to vary the conditions of its original planning approval so it can open next month ­— with temporary access solutions in place.

The services are being built on the Balderton roundabout, just off the A1, bringing big-names like Starbucks, Burger King, Pret a Manger and Greggs as well as a fuel stop for cars and lorries.

Plans originally submitted by Alliance GW Ltd on behalf of Welcome Break, were approved by Newark and Sherwood District Council in November 2020, despite concerns over highway and pedestrian safety.

Now, it has applied to vary the conditions of that approval so it can open before completing all road works, with temporary measures in place such as traffic control lights, temporary signage and rubberised central bollards to prevent turning right out of the services.

Fernwood Parish Council called a special extraordinary meeting to discuss the proposals following public concern, and voted unanimously to object to the application.

One concerned resident said: "I live on the Fernwood estate and a lot of us were never in favour of the site in the first place.

"But looking at the conditions of the planning application, basically they shouldn't have ever put a spade in the ground, let alone ask for extra planning."

Others were concerned for the safety of residents and pedestrians who use the road as access, particularly for children walking to and from school.

"I hope the council will help by objecting to this, it will become even more dangerous for pedestrians and kids and potential road accidents when cars queue to enter," another resident said.

Johno Lee, who represents Balderton on Nottinghamshire County Council, also voiced concerns.

After the county council's highways department objected to the application, he said: "Our decision was predominantly down to safety concerns as we didn't feel that the scheme that Welcome Break wanted to bring forward was achievable.

"It's the variation that we have concerns for, which would bring forward the opening of the site from January to October before everything had been completed.

"We had safety concerns about the road and managing traffic, particularly turning right, the road needed to be widened, a planting scheme needs to be put in place to stop the noise, and so on. All that had to be done under the original scheme.

"When I looked into the application, I agreed with residents that this temporary scheme was not acceptable.

"I'm disappointed because I want the service station to come forward as soon as possible. I believe it will benefit the community, it will benefit the people of Middlebeck and Fernwood that don't have real access to a petrol station or services. But it has to be safe.

"My biggest concern is when we have secondary schools nearby, we need to make sure that the hundreds of children a day travelling from Balderton to Fernwood and Fernwood to Newark are safe, and I don't think that this temporary scheme is safe."

The highways department noted the original planning application required the access to be in place before construction started and raised concerns over several aspects of the temporary measures, including insufficient signage, increased risk of collisions and the kerbs and temporary barrier being insufficient to prevent HGVs from encroaching into the opposing lane.

Newark and Sherwood District Council will decide the application.

When contacted for comment, Welcome Break said: "We can confirm that upon the opening of Welcome Break Newark, all work within the service area will be complete, enabling us to fully serve the community and passing commuters.

"Our variation to the planning conditions comes as the road works adjacent to the site entrance won’t have been completed when the service area opens.

"However, with the help of our highways engineering company, we are certain that we have designed a safe, temporary solution to allow for Welcome Break Newark open prior to the completion of said road works.

"Here at Welcome Break, we are determined to complete the permanent road works as soon as possible.

"The safety of the local community and our visitors is paramount, so we have proposed an island in the centre of the road which will prevent vehicles from turning right when both entering and exiting the service area. This proposal is currently being reviewed by the local authorities and if agreed, will be erected immediately.

"Pending approval on our proposed solution, it’s our hope that we’re able to open Welcome Break Newark by Mid-October.

"We’re incredibly excited to bring the Welcome Break offering to Newark where not only are we creating over 80 jobs, but we’re also introducing our fantastic food and beverage offering for local residence and commuters to enjoy. We can’t wait to welcome visitors through our doors. "