Service station operator Moto submitted plans to build services either side of the motorway between junction 27 and 28 close to Noak Hill last year.
The site would have space for 831 cars to park, as well as 400 HGVs – but opponents say that the services are unnecessary and will destroy green belt land.
Brentwood Council is yet to consider the application, but campaign group No to Moto said it staged a protest outside the local authority’s planning meeting on Tuesday evening (January 28) to remind councillors that there is “still strong opposition”.
It comes after rival service station operator Welcome Break revealed it also wants to build a new facility less than a mile north of the site earmarked for development by Moto.
This proposal would have 651 car parking spaces, as well as space for 362 HGVs. A formal planning application is yet to be submitted to Brentwood Council.
Simon Crump, a spokesperson for No to Moto, said that local people opposed both developments.
He feared that the approval of one would lead to houses going up too.
“These are massive developments, they’re absolutely huge,” he explained.
“That green belt land will be lost forever, and we won’t get it back.
“If that happens, it’s going to be a swathe of concrete that joins London to the outside of Brentwood. The green belt as we know it will have gone.”
Crump, who lives in Havering, claimed that people in the London borough were just as concerned as those living in Brentwood about the plans.
Both Moto and Welcome Break insist that the services are badly needed as there is a 33-mile gap between the South Mimms and Thurrock stops on the M25, exceeding current guidelines.
Once the Lower Thames Crossing is built, there would be an even larger gap between South Mimms and Maidstone.
National Highways has said that it supports a new service station between junction 27 and 28 “in principle” as this would roughly halve the current gap between breaks.
However, last September the agency said that it had concerns about plans for a rear access route for staff and emergency vehicles at the planned Moto services, and asked Brentwood Council not to approve the application before the end of the year.
Moto has since removed plans for rear access from the designs.
Opponents also say that the small petrol station next to junction 28 at Brook Street, which includes a Little Waitrose and is adjacent to a ramen bar, is “perfectly adequate”, so new services in the area are unnecessary.
Jess Lockwood, property director at Moto, said: “The development will provide essential rest stops to reduce fatigue-related accidents and significant electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
“It will alleviate HGV parking issues on local roads, including reducing roadside crime, and ease capacity constraints at existing facilities.
“We have taken steps to minimise environmental impacts. Our plans include measures to protect wildlife, deliver at least a ten per cent biodiversity net gain, and safeguard local heritage assets.
“Moto’s proposal is a standalone submission, carefully designed to address the needs of road users while respecting the character of the local area.”
Welcome Break declined to comment after being approached by the Recorder for a response.
