RESIDENTS have been given their first glimpse at plans for a new motorway service area and large employment park at Junction 24 near Huntworth.

The 85 acre site is planned to the east of the M5 and would include a new roundabout for accessing the site which would exist in tandem with the existing services at J24.

The new motorway service area would have a car park providing 300 spaces and could include a Burger King or KFC, Starbucks, Spar and a Subway.

A consultation event on the plans was held at the J24 conference centre on Thursday (July 12) where residents had a chance to give their views on the plans.

A KFC can be spotted in two of the artists' impressions while one of the consultation boards bore the logos of Burger King, Subway, Starbucks and Spar.

Bridgwater Mercury:

Chris Dadds, director of JLL, said: "It has been busy and so far feedback has been generally positive.

He said issues residents had raised including the impact on traffic and how it will affect the existing Huntworth roundabout, and also whether the new road layout will be used as a rat run through Huntworth village, however he was confident these concerns could be addressed.

Bridgwater Mercury:

Residents also raised some concerns over the impact the development could have on the risk of flooding as part of the site falls within Flood Zone categories 2 and 3.

However the developers say 'a key requirement for proposed development is to ensure that flood risk downstream is not increased'.

"The introduction of roofs and hard-paved surfaces as part of the development will reduce the area where water can percolate into soil and to a greater or lesser extent infiltrate into the underlying rock.

"To compensate for this the development will provide areas for rain water to infiltrate into the ground. 

"The existing ground conditions mean that it will not be possible for the water to soak into the ground in sufficient volumes and, therefore, the development proposal will include features to capture and hold the water prior to discharge to the surrounding water course, replicating what happens at present."

Bridgwater Mercury:

Overall the plan includes allocation for 900,000 square feet of employment space, ranging in size from 250,000 square feet plots to smaller 10,000 square feet plots.

The land is owned by S Notaro Ltd.

The plans also include new hedgerows, tree planting and wildflower meadows.

The sites lies in an area known to have archaeological potential and a thorough survey will be carried out prior to construction.

The company who will run the motorway service area is the EG Group.

They are the largest franchisee of Subway in Europe, and the largest franchisee of Starbucks and Greggs in the UK.

It is anticipated that up to 70 people will be employed at the new Junction 24 services.

Mr Dadds confirmed that the plan is to submit a planning application in September, with construction likely to start in 2020 if approved.