Stansted services
A120 at the Stansted Airport exit
Signposted from the road.
CM24 1PY
(Google Maps link)
Single site located at a junction.
This is the service station virtually inside Stansted Airport. For the Welcome Break by the large roundabout above the M11, see Birchanger Green.
Stansted services is a small, retail park-style facility surrounded by car parks serving Stansted Airport. It is so close to Birchanger that the signs at the Priory Wood Roundabout give drivers a choice of both services. This place is notorious for its strict parking procedures.
Facilities
COVID-19 update: Most service stations are open with fewer facilities. General advice here.
Catering: McDonald's Drive Thru, Starbucks Drive Thru
Hotel: Holiday Inn Expressbook, Premier Inn
Forecourt: BP, M&S Simply Food, Wild Bean Café, Air1 AdBlue, Car Wash, Jet Wash, Free Cash Machine
Parking Prices
Free parking is provided for customers using the facilities only. Owing to the proximity of the airport, rules are very strictly enforced and you should check the signs before leaving your vehicle.
Free parking is limited to 30 minutes at BP, 60 minutes with the option to pay for more at McDonald's and Starbucks. Parking and then walking elsewhere (including walking between Starbucks and McDonald's), or parking outside of a marked bay, will result in a charge ("fine") being issued.
Contact Details
🏢 Address:
Thremhall Avenue
London Stansted Airport
Stansted
Essex
CM24 1PY
- 🗺 Grid reference: TL548220
- 📌 what3words: ///classics.symphonic.regulator
🌍 Operators (Official Websites):
Trivia and History
The A120 here only opened in 2003, with the land here being identified for future development. The development was called Southgate Park, but this name is rarely used, given the famous airport positioned next door. The BP opened in 2004, the Holiday Inn in 2005, the McDonald's in 2009, the Starbucks in 2010 and the Premier Inn in 2011.
Despite looking like one piece of land, the McDonald's and Starbucks are legally regarded as separate premises. They have separate landowners, but share a common entrance and are enforced by the same company, who insist that they are totally separate car parks and are notorious for charging people for walking between the two.
This service station can only be accessed by driving on airport land. This is not a public right of way, but it does mean that vehicles working for Stansted Airport, which are subject to different regulations, can access the facilities.
The site also used to feature two shed-like buildings in the car park serving street food during the daytime.
A 2018 edition of Joe Lycett's Got Your Back investigated the parking situation, in a feature which culminated in a skit that claimed to find an unusual way of evading the cameras.
Alternatives
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Birchanger Green (2 miles) | Services on the A120 | Great Dunmow (4 miles) |