Developers wanting to build a new £150 million motorway service station on green belt land near Chalfont St Peter have lodged an appeal after a decision was not made regarding the plans.

Extra Motorway Services – which also runs the M40 Beaconsfield service station – submitted outline plans for the new site on the M25 between junction 16 for the M40 and junction 17 for Maple Cross in 2019.

The plans include a petrol station, up to 100-bedroom hotel, a service yard, parking facilities, vehicle circulation, landscaping, woodland and amenity spaces, and electric vehicle charging facilities.

Developers said that their proposals, which took more than 18 months to put together and be submitted, addressed a “significant road safety need for this location on the motorway network”.

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The firm has now lodged an appeal against Buckinghamshire Council for a “failure to make a decision” regarding the outline plans.

According to the Gov.uk website, a local authority should make a decision on planning applications as quickly as possible, usually within 13 weeks for major developments and eight weeks for all other types of developments – unless an application is subject to an environmental impact assessment, in which case a 16-week limit applies.

The website also says where a planning application takes longer than the statutory period to decide, and an extended period has not been agreed, the government’s policy is that the decision should be made within 26 weeks at most.

If a valid application has not been decided within the relevant statutory or agreed period, the applicant has a right to appeal to the Secretary of State against non-determination.

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The outline plans for the new services were first submitted to Bucks Council in July 2019 – almost two years ago.

According to council documents, the inquiry will open at 10am on August 17 this year, with eight sitting days scheduled.

The inspector appointed to decide the appeal will also hold a case management conference with the main parties virtually on June 2.

To see the plans and appeal letter in full, visit www.chiltern.gov.uk/viewplanningapplications with reference PL/19/2260/OA.