The project

Why Roding Valley is needed

The safety and welfare of motorway users is our top priority. With the M25 being one of the busiest and most important motorways in the UK, it is concerning that it is significantly under-served by places to rest, refresh, and refuel – especially along the eastern stretch feeding down into Channel ports.

On the eastern M25 there are gaps between Motorway Service Areas (MSA) which exceed the current 28 mile (or 30-minute) maximum spacing set by National Highways.

Welcome Break Roding Valley would reduce the current 33-mile gap between South Mimms and Thurrock as well as the forthcoming 62-mile gap between South Mimms and Maidstone that will occur once the new Lower Thames Crossing has been developed.

For HGV drivers, the situation is even worse. In certain circumstances National Highways recommends that motorway facilities with HGV parking should not exceed 14 miles. Services for HGV drivers along this section of the M25 significantly exceed this distance.

These current and forthcoming gaps firmly establish the need for our new MSA to ensure national policy is not being ignored.

EV Charging Facilities

Under current government plans all new cars sold by 2035 should be electric, making charging facilities on public networks a key issue for long distance motorists.

Welcome Break Roding Valley supports this move towards a greener future by providing plenty of EV spaces. At the time of opening, the MSA will provide in excess of 50 rapid EV charging points, with well over 50 further EV ready charging points which can be deployed quickly as demand requires. The scheme has also been designed with a layout that can accommodate even more EV charging spaces in the future, again as demand requires.

Specific need for new HGV facilities

Feeding down to the Channel ports, the M25 carries over 35,000 HGV on its busiest day but 86% of HGV facilities across the South East do not provide accommodation or security features such as lighting, fencing or CCTV which are vital in giving drivers the peace of mind they need to fully relax before heading back on the road. These secure parking facilities for HGVs not only benefit the driver but the local community, preventing dangerous parking from occurring in the local area.

At the most basic level, on-site parking for HGVs in the South East has reached a critical level, causing drivers to struggle to find space to simply rest.

Our proposals respond to this gap in adequate services for HGV drivers.