New motorway service station proposed for M4 junction 37 in Bridgend

Proposals to create a new motorway service station on the M4 at Bridgend’s junction 37 have been published by developers this month.
If approved it could see the creation of a site with a new petrol station as well as three separate drive-through restaurants – a McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Greggs – along with seating areas and toilet facilities.
The site would be based on land off the M4, close to the Pyle interchange at junction 37, with a potential new access road also built off the northern carriageway of the A4229.
Plans put forward by developers at the Draycott Group say the service area will be located near to several large residential areas in the borough including the villages of North Cornelly, Pyle, and Kenfig Hill and would be open on a 24-hour basis and for 365 days a year if given the go-ahead.
A document contained within the plans added that a total of 125 people could eventually be employed  at the site equating to 78 full-time equivalent jobs that are described as being “particularly attractive” to a younger age group.
The latest set of proposals come after a formal pre-application which was carried out with the local planning authority in 2022 though it was acknowledged that at the time the proposal “did not draw a positive response from the council”.
The report read: “The council considered that further justification would be required to demonstrate that there was an ‘overriding need’ for this type of development in this specific countryside location.”
However the latest set of plans provides further planning justification for the site, which argues that motorway-related developments such as this are “inevitably located in countryside, away from town centres,” as they cannot be sited elsewhere by definition.
The latest set of proposals for the service station at junction 37 are expected to be handed in to Bridgend’s planning authority for a decision over the coming months. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​