FAQS

The proposed MSA site is located on land adjacent to Junction 11 on the M27, near Fareham.

This is a busy section of the motorway, carrying around 90,000 vehicles per day, of which HGVs account for over 6%.

To enable motorists to regularly take breaks on journeys, government policy is that there should be no more than 28 miles between Motorway Service Areas (MSA) and, in certain circumstances, no more than 14 miles between service areas providing HGV parking. On other parts of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), i.e. non-motorway trunk roads, the maximum distance should be the equivalent of 30 minutes driving time.

In the general area around Fareham the SRN comprises a number of motorways (M27, M3 A3(M) and other trunk roads such as the A27. There is currently a gap of circa 90 miles between Rownhams MSA and the eastern end of the A27 trunk road as well as a 32-mile gap between Winchester MSA on the M3 and the eastern end on the M27.

This demonstrates a clear need for a new MSA along this section of the M27 to support our vital HGV drivers.

We propose to provide more than 500 parking spaces.

There are a proposed 16 motorcycle spaces, 16 caravan spaces, and 7 spaces for coaches.

Our design provides more than 50 EV (Electric Vehicle) charging spaces, comprising 30 EV charging spaces available on day one.

The parking spaces have been designed to ensure that further non-EV spaces can be converted to EV charging spaces in the future.

Our proposal includes a dedicated space for a petrol / diesel filling station. Whilst we are committed, in line with government policy, to the transition to electric and other non-fossil fuel powered vehicles, there will still be a requirement to support petrol and diesel cars for many years to come.

We will provide 53 HGV parking spaces in total.

20 of the 53 HGV parking spaces will have the capacity to be turned into EV spaces when demand increases.

We have included a range of environmental features:

• EV charging
• Energy efficient construction, heating, and lighting
• Enhanced landscape fabric
• Significant biodiversity net gain
• Sustainable drainage system

We are committed to providing extensive new habitats for wildlife as part of this project, with large parts of the eastern and western ends of the site committed to improving biodiversity. This means a minimun of 10% of the total site will be set aside for green spaces, ponds, and wildlife habitats.

No, this proposal represents a large-scale development on underdeveloped greenfield agricultural land in the open countryside. Such a position is almost universally the case for MSAs throughout the UK.

The provision of new MSAs on a motorway result in little perceptible change in traffic flows on the motorway itself. However, more motorway users will utilise Junction 11 of the M27 in order to access the new Welcome Break Fareham MSA.

Welcome Break Fareham MSA is specifically designed to serve motorway users. However, given its location on an existing motorway junction, there will clearly be more traffic using Junction 11 itself. However, there are no residential properties located between the motorway and the new MSA access. In terms of the wider local road network, it is likely that there will be a very slight increase in traffic on local roads during both construction and operational phases, the latter predominantly associated with staff movements.

The MSA represents a £50 million investment and would result in significant job creation during both the construction and operational phases. Once built, we expect more than 250 new full-time equivalent jobs to be created.

These new jobs range from management roles to customer service operatives. We encourage applications from nearby communities where possible.

While it is too early to say what brands may be at Welcome Break Fareham, we have successful relationships with a range of well-known, high-quality brands. These relationships are built around our shared commitment to a more sustainable future.

These brands include:

• Waitrose pioneers in waste reduction.
• Starbucks is committed to ethical sourcing, building green stores, preserving water, and minimising environmental footprint.
• KFC drives environmental sustainability, animal welfare, healthier eating and not using Palm oil.
• Burger King is committed to energy saving and waste reduction.

Following our public consultation, we will review all feedback received and amend our proposals if appropriate. We will then submit our planning application to Fareham Borough Council during the summer of 2025.

Our team would be happy to answer any questions at our email address enquiries@welcomebreakfareham.info.