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PAN 57 Planning for Transport

ANNEX F: Service Areas

F1. A Service Area on a strategic road is defined as a development which should as a minimum provide:

• Free short term parking for both commercial and private vehicles, including those only wishing to rest and not to use any facilities;
• Fuel;
• Free toilets;
• A picnic area with picnic tables available during daylight hours;
• All facilities accessible to disabled people; and
• Telephones.

F2. Other facilities will be for operators to offer in the light of demand and arrangements made with other bodies e.g. tourist boards, but could be expected to include:

• Catering on all sites (not only from automatic vending machines) but not necessarily open during all service area opening hours;
• A retail unit on all sites but not necessarily open during all service area opening hours; it is recommended that provision be limited to a single unit of up to 200 square metres net floorspace to be treated as a maximum prior to planning authorities setting actual limits in development plans dependent on local circumstances, e.g. for service areas in particular locations of national tourist significance more or larger retail units may be permissible where this will not conflict with environmental objectives; all retail activity is to meet the reasonable needs of travellers only.
• Tourist information, manned at appropriate times or otherwise available;
• Limited vehicle repairs;
• Cash dispenser;
• Overnight accommodation (which may be particularly desirable for example on the main tourist routes);
• Special parking facilities such as secure overnight accommodation for which charging may be appropriate.

F3. In locations near popular climbing and walking access points it may also be appropriate to include facilities providing information or telephone access to local weather forecasts, mountain rescue and similar services.

F4. All facilities are to be provided primarily to meet the reasonable needs of travellers and the scale of provision should be consistent with these needs.

F5. In addition to the above requirements, a Motorway Service Area (MSA) should meet the following minimum requirements:

• All the services mentioned in the Service Area definition should be provided on both sides, or if on one side only, connected to the other by an overbridge or underbridge incorporating adequate sight lines, entry and exit splays and safe gradients; if the overbridge or underbridge is for pedestrians only, there must be an adequate parking area and fuel supplies on each side of the road;
• These facilities should all be available every day of the year for 24 hours a day on motorways.
• There is no sale of alcohol on the site;
• Sufficient parking should be provided for 0.5% of the predicted light vehicle flow, 0.35% of the predicted heavy vehicle flow, and, for coaches, 0.1% of the predicted heavy vehicle flow, all measured as a proportion of the annual average daily traffic flow 15 years after opening.

F6. The predicted traffic flows are those provided on application to the Scottish Executive. Developers will not necessarily be required to provide the full 15 year parking levels as soon as the site opens, but will be expected to achieve:

• Planning permission in respect of land able to accommodate the whole 15 year figure,
• Have legally enforceable rights to acquire the necessary land to build up to the final provision in 5 year stages, and
• Have a landscape setting and development framework capable of accommodating the phased development.

F7. If experience differs significantly from these assumptions, earlier provision of adequate parking may be required. At sites accessed from junctions, it may also be necessary to consider the effects of non-motorway traffic on parking requirements.

F8. The Scottish Executive will maintain its strict policy of restricting accesses to the motorway. Safe and clear accesses conforming fully to national standards are an essential part of any MSA development bearing in mind that motorists will be accustomed to motorway driving conditions. It will be particularly important to avoid the risk of congestion or interference with the free flow of traffic on the main carriageway. Locations will require to take account of satisfactory weaving distances in relation to existing or proposed motorway junctions. MSAs should not be used as routes from the motorway through to other nearby developments or act in any way as junctions between the motorway and the all purpose road network. At sites accessed directly from the motorway any rear access roads connecting to the local road network will require to be restricted to staff, deliveries and the emergency services.

F9. In addition to the requirements under Service Area Definition, a Service Area on a non-restricted trunk road should meet the following minimum requirements:

• These facilities should all be available every day of the year for 16 hours a day on the core network trunk roads and 12 hours a day on other strategic routes.
• On trunk roads agreed with the Scottish Executive as being essentially tourist routes these opening hours will apply from 1 March to 31 October but not necessarily in other months with the exception of routes accessing winter sports areas.
• The siting of the service area should not result in increased traffic problems which would exacerbate existing urban congestion or be to the detriment of safety or the environment;
• Siting should minimise the need to make detours off the trunk road;
• Full account should be taken of land use policies and of urban conservation interests as set out in Local Plans;
• Parking areas provided for other reasons e.g. park and ride or major traffic generators, may be thought suitable for incorporation of service facilities, but unless well designed it may be confusing to the long distance driver to mix with local traffic in this way;
• Normal traffic management principles for access, visibility, manoeuvrability on site, proximity to other junctions, etc., should be met;
• Design and layout should respect the character and nature of the surrounding urban fabric.

F10. Core Network - Dual Carriageway:

• As set out for motorway service areas above;
• Any direct access by slip roads off the trunk road should be away from a side road connection, junction or roundabout to permit adequate sightlines and weaving distances;
• The access must be separate from any break in the central reservation to avoid encouraging traffic to cross the road.

F11. Core Network - Single Carriageway or Non-Core Network:

• Access should not infringe existing overtaking provision;
• A driver's view of direction signs at a junction should not be impeded by service access or signs;
• Visibility in either direction from the accesses must be adequate on the trunk road;
• Preferably the site should form one of a pair on both sides of the road with the near-side one seen first by approaching traffic.

Operating Arrangements:

F12. The Scottish Ministers will be advised to agree access to the motorway or other trunk road in the following circumstances :

• Where all the services are to be provided and made available as set out in the service area definition (it is appreciated that hours of opening cannot be enforced under planning powers but "Services" signs will not be allowed on the trunk road unless this requirement is complied with);
• Where the site is sufficiently large to deal with its customers clear of the road and, where reasonably practicable, is designed for one-way working through the service area with fuel pumps sited as near the exit as possible to ensure that waiting vehicles will not stand on the carriageway.

F13. The Scottish Ministers are prepared to install, at developers' expense, ‘Services’ signs giving advance warning of service areas. They will however retain their discretion to remove such signs should, in their opinion, any aspect of the operation of a service area be detrimental to the free flow of traffic or to safety on the road network or should the minimum requirements to qualify as a service area not be maintained. Details of these signs have to be agreed with the Scottish Executive.

F14. The Scottish Executive believes that an element of competition on site, between different caterers, for example, will lead to improved standards to the benefit of the travelling public. Where traffic volumes do not support competition within a site, an operator may still wish to consider using the resources of the local community in the catering and retail outlets to help in promoting the local economy.

F15. Planning authorities, in defining opportunities for service areas and other facilities on trunk roads, should take into account the provisions of Scottish Office Circulars and SPP’s. Where appropriate Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotland should be consulted in this process. If the development has potential implications for water quality e.g. potential run-off from parking areas, The Scottish Environment Protection Agency should also be consulted.

F16. At a strategic level development plans should:

• Indicate where on the motorway and other trunk road network there are opportunities for service areas.
• Indicate which lengths of the trunk road network are constrained by environmental and other considerations.
• Indicate where there is a need for other facilities short of service area provision; and
• Set out strategies for enhancing and promoting the facilities in wayside and bypassed settlements to contribute to meeting the needs of travellers.

F17. At a local level development plans should:

• Identify specific sites for new or improved facilities in accordance with the strategic framework; and
• Set out design guidance and operational criteria.

- TO BE UPDATED -

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