The £35m scheme between M5 Junctions 11a and 12 at Brookthorpe is the brainchild of Gloucestershire Gateway Trust and Westmoreland, which hope to start construction before the end of the year.

Bam Construct, Galliford Try and Kier are understood to be among the firms vying to build the service station for both north and south bound traffic.

Architect Glen Howells has designed a timber framed building that will appear to be buried into the landscape to reduce its environmental impact.

The commitment to a start date ends months of uncertainty for the scheme’s backers, after running into  local opposition and a legal challenge from rival operators.

Stroud District Council granted planning just over a year ago, but Roadchef and Welcome Break launched a bid for a judicial review claiming planning procedures were not properly followed.

In February the High Court turned down the legal challenge allowing the scheme to proceed unhindered.