Power-hungry bat conservationists are ruining my granny annexe plans

Regulars of the southbound motorway services area of Taunton Deane on the M5 are mournful. The truckers, caravaners, holiday makers and others, who have been served there so miserably since the place opened in 1976, had thought that 2024 was their year. After decades of awful food, weak coffee and overpriced fuel, things were looking up. The owners, Roadchef, had put in an application to renovate the main building and add an extension. This would mean that the dining offering wouldn’t just be a