Villagers carry on fighting service station plans

Campaigners said they would carry on fighting plans to expand a service station near a village after a High Court judge dismissed their case on two occasions.

Friends of Gillingham Countryside are attempting to halt the scheme on the Norfolk-Suffolk border near Beccles, and have raised money to appeal the latest ruling.

South Norfolk Council granted planning permission for the expansion last year, but the group believed there were procedural issues and wanted it overturned.

Campaigner Sue McCabe feared it would turn the Broads village into an industrial area. However, the company behind the development said it would create new jobs and opportunities for the community.

The current services are located off the roundabout between the A146 and A143 Norwich Road and already include a petrol station, McDonald's, KFC and Starbucks.

Todhunter, the company behind the scheme, wants to expand this to include electric charging points, six trade units, a new drive-thru restaurant, a retail unit and a farm shop.

It was thought that Marks & Spencer and Greggs could be among the businesses moving in.

But the Friends of Gillingham Countryside - a group set up after the decision- is determined to overturn the application.

It has likened their cause to a "modern-day David and Goliath" battle and has raised more than £10,000 in just 30 days to pay for their legal challenge against the scheme.

They claim there are a number of issues with how the application was handled by South Norfolk Council, such as assessments on flood risks and the effect it will have on other retail businesses not being completed properly.

McCabe, 66, who lives near the site, said: "The expansion will double the size of the services, resulting in more traffic, more light pollution, more noise, more litter and more importantly, the loss of open countryside, wildlife and habitats.

"The area surrounding the services is used very much by families and dog walkers. It is full of wildlife and is one of the few, probably the last, open spaces left in the village - I think the village sees it as eroding village life as we know it.

"Our rural location is under real threat of being rebranded as an industrial area rather than a charming Broadland village, which it is."

She said people living nearby have complained of seeing KFC's sign "glowing from their window", and she worries the project will encroach further upon the nearby housing.

Beccles Town Council has also opposed the scheme, fearing it could affect footfall in the town, with visitors choosing to stop at the services rather than venturing to the high street shops and restaurants.

But so far, judges have dismissed two applications seeking permission for the case to be heard in the High Court.

Judge Tim Smith found five claims "not arguable" and denied permission for a judicial review following an oral hearing on 24 March, 2026.

South Norfolk Council said it is "pleased that the High Court found in its favour on all five counts".

McCabe said the group's lawyers believed there are further grounds to challenge the application.

"Our legal team are still very, very sure that we do have a case to answer," she said.

Todhunter declined to comment on the ongoing legal challenge but said the project would boost jobs and opportunities in the local area.

It is expected that it could create at least 115 new full-time jobs, and South Norfolk Council's planning department previously said the scheme would bring "overriding economic and social benefits".

Friends of Gillingham Countryside will now wait to hear if its appeal against the High Court decision will result in it being reconsidered.

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