Background

The design of England’s motorway network finds itself at a critical moment. The adoption of electric vehicles is accelerating; the need to address climate and environmental challenges is pressing and our national highway infrastructure can play its part. This means rethinking the status quo in many areas. One of these is the role of motorway service areas.

The design and function of service areas can evolve. Beyond catering to the electrification of vehicles, the evolution of motorway service areas has the potential to involve a broader spectrum of considerations. The challenge involves integrating technical constraints, like charging technology, with sustainable practices, customer preferences, and economic trends.

We have the opportunity to reimagine motorway services as dynamic, multifunctional hubs; ones that make the most of rapidly-changing technologies and sustainable landscape practices to cater to the future’s diverse and evolving demands. This report highlights the pivotal role of design in orchestrating this transformation.

The Future of Service Areas programme, developed by the Design Council on behalf of National Highways and based on research by the Jacobs and Atkins Joint Venture, responds to the evolving demands of a country transitioning toward zeroemission mobility. This programme signifies a concerted effort to reimagine these places and contribute to a sustainable and regenerative future for all, where motorway service areas transcend their conventional role, and embed best practice climate and environmental principles.

While these changes present exciting prospects, they also entail careful planning and collaboration among various stakeholders, including government bodies, businesses, industry and local communities.

By engaging in a series of workshops taking in diverse views, the Design Council has facilitated collaboration and a coalition of people, ideas, insights, and perspectives necessary to shape the future of these spaces.

These efforts culminate with this report that summarises their output. We outline a set of foundational principles that can be used to guide the evolution of motorway service areas, and could effectively underpin future development, ensuring that the UK’s service areas are resilient to the changes the future brings.