Tuesday, January 7, 2025

News: Opening date revealed for new Welcome Break in Rotherham

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The new multimillion pound motorway service area (MSA) on the M1 in Rotherham is set to open later this month.

Rothbiz revealed in 2021 that Welcome Break, one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, was to take on the site after outline planning permission was secured by Irish firm, Applegreen, for a new development at Junction 33 of the M1 at Catcliffe.

In the UK, Applegreen is growing its Welcome Break business, which operates 58 sites, including 34 motorway service areas, and 31 hotels.

It is investing €66m (£54.7m) in Rotherham where around 300 jobs are being created.

The opening date has been confirmed as January 10.

With state-of-the-art facilities, the new MSA has been given the address of Orchard Road. Brands were revealed by Rothbiz first when recruitment got underway in 2024. These include Starbucks, KFC, Burger King, Waitrose, a standalone Starbucks Drive Thru, Pret a Manger, WHSmith, Chopstix, The Good Breakfast, and a convenient forecourt.

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Plans showed a main amenity building measuring 32,000 sq ft with seven concession units, a retail area, gaming area, toilets, seating and a kid's play area on the ground floor. A mezzanine floor includes an eighth unit, further seating and a business lounge / remote working hub.

Built by lead contractor HML on scrub land on either side of the motorway (where previous plans for a hotel and pub were approved but never implemented), the Welcome Break includes HGV parking and amenities to the north of the M1, with customer parking and amenities for other motorway users to the south of the M1, accessed via an underpass.

To access the 24-hour service area, visitors will use a new junction installed just before the A630 Rotherham exit of the roundabout. To exit, drivers will use a signal-controlled new access road joining the Rotherham - Sheffield Parkway where it has been recently widened just before the roundabout. An alternative exit for HGVs is being created via a new slip road to the A630 Rotherway.

Welcome Break website

Images: Welcome Break

15 comments:

Ophelia Teteh,  January 7, 2025 at 10:35 AM  

Lovely Stuff!

Anonymous,  January 7, 2025 at 11:42 AM  

I am looking forward to visiting when this opens. Currently the nearest branches of Waitrose and Pret are in Sheffield and Meadowhall, so it will be good to be able to have these new brands available in Rotherham.

Anonymous,  January 7, 2025 at 12:37 PM  

The prices will be more expensive in a services than in the regular stores.

Anonymous,  January 7, 2025 at 1:14 PM  

Good news for the town, just a shame that rag know as the Sheffield star only refers to it as near Sheffield or just off the Parkway- pathetic really

Anonymous,  January 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM  

It won't be a Waitrose like the one in Sheffield though, it'll be a small convenience store with a very limited product range. That's not a criticism by the way, it's all you ever get in a services.

Jake,  January 8, 2025 at 7:25 PM  

I travel for work and often call at motorway M&S or Waitrose to pick up a few bits. The prices are a little more but nothing unreasonable so I welcome this.

Anonymous,  January 8, 2025 at 10:06 PM  

The Star has always been pathetic and the standard of it's journalism is appalling

Jez January 9, 2025 at 9:51 AM  

And Rotherham Advertiser has gone downhill at a tremendous rate since it was sold off

Tom,  January 9, 2025 at 7:18 PM  

The operator said today that: "Due to this week's weather we have had a slight delay in our initial planned opening date."

Anonymous,  January 9, 2025 at 7:36 PM  

Previous comment: “…the standard of it’s journalism is appalling.” Pot, kettle… its journalism (FYI: it’s = contraction of it is, possessive of it is its)

Jez January 10, 2025 at 12:02 AM  

Nevertheless, it is difficult to argue with the poster's sentiments. But having said that I would much prefer to read The Star's journalism than stomach your pedantism.

Anonymous,  January 10, 2025 at 6:46 AM  

"Pot kettle" poster:
Pathetic!

Anonymous,  January 10, 2025 at 9:28 AM  

What has a misplaced apostrophe got to do with the quality of journalism?

Anonymous,  January 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM  

He needs something to occupy his time

Anonymous,  January 11, 2025 at 11:48 PM  

Don't know if he's an English teacher or not. But if he is I bet he doesn't half inspire his students.

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