Green light given for £50mmotorway service station

Leeds Skelton Lake Services, a project by developer Extra MSA, will be at the Gateway to the Leeds Enterprise Zone at junction 45 of the M1 motorway.

More than 700 new jobs will be created during construction and operation of the services which will feature a food court, retail outlets, business centre, filling station, visitor centre, a viewing deck over Skelton Lake and a 100 bedroom hotel.

Construction will start later this year and the services will be ready for business by Autumn 2018.

Andrew Long, chief executive officer of Extra MSA Group, said: “Leeds Skelton Lake Services will change perceptions of how a Motorway Service Area can support motorway users, local communities and a wider regional economy.

“Our £50m investment into east Leeds will not only address road safety deficiencies on this section of motorway, it will create new jobs as well as delivering economic, social and environmental benefits for the wider Leeds City Region.”

The project has been backed by Leeds Civic Trust, Leeds Local Enterprise Partnership, MPs and Friends of Rothwell Country Park.