Former quarry by Northamptonshire village could become a large service station

A 44-acre site by the A14 at Welford has been sold to a service station company.

Euro Garages - which describes itself as the fastest-growing forecourt operator in the UK - has bought the swathe of land just outside Welford for an undisclosed fee.

It had been listed under a guide price of £1.8 million by auctioneers Savills.

The 44-acre site has planning permission for a service station a truck stop/diner, a drive-through diner and travel motel, according to Savills.

If built, it will serve both the eastbound and westbound carriageways of the A14 at junction one.

David Myers, of Euro Garages, said: “We’re delighted with our acquisition of this property that fronts the A14 trunk road and is in close proximity to Junction 19 of the M1.

“This represents a key expansion opportunity for EuroGarages, situated within a strategic location for our business.”

The site had been owned by the Property Recycling Group, which acquires brownfield sites across the UK and sells them on.

Executive chairman of the firm Paul Rackham said: “We are pleased to have completed the sale to such a progressive company who have a history of successfully completing developments of this type.”

Euro Garages currently has 341 freehold-owned sites across the country and has “brand partnerships” with BP, ESSO and Shell filling stations, one of which would likely feature at the A14 services by Welford.

It also has partnerships with supermarket chain SPAR, as well as Starbucks, Subway, Greggs and Burger King.