The new BP service centre on the Parkes Bypass will open its doors at 5am Wednesday and will be accompanied by a McDonald’s restaurant by the end of the year. The existing 24 hour BP Truckstop on the Forbes Road (near the rail line on the former highway) will close permanently as the new location opens. Its last day of trade will be late Tuesday afternoon, there will be no service overnight as equipment and its systems are moved to the new premises across from the Condobolin Road roundabout. Site manager Tanya Wilson and her staff are looking forward to this new chapter as they say goodbye to the truckstop that has served locals, visitors and travellers for more than 30 years. "Everyone is very excited," she said. "We're moving into a centre that's bigger and better... Hopefully it all goes smoothly." State-of-the-art is how its developers Stevens Group and BP have described it, its official name the BP Parkes Gateway at 23 Westlime Road. Named for its location at the SAP's northern gateway that will connect the precinct with the Parkes town centre and Newell Highway. The service centre will feature a convenience store, truck drivers lounge with showers, laundry and diner, and 26 heavy vehicle parking spaces to provide a much needed rest stop on this significant transport route. Tanya said it will be a soft opening at 5am with just the essentials available. By 10am they will have the full menu up and running. One of the questions Tanya and her team are being asked frequently is if McDonald’s is located within the centre itself. "It's not, it won't be like the highway service centre in Forbes, McDonald’s will be in a separate building," she said. McDonald’s were the first to be offered the space and licensee of the already established Parkes CBD and Forbes restaurants Jenny McLeod said it was an opportunity far too great to pass up. "It has so much potential for the future growth of Parkes," she said. "With the bypass, the SAP and logistics hub surrounding it, there's going to be phenomenal growth out there." The new restaurant will bring 65 local jobs, of which 25 new staff have already been hired in the last few months. "This location will appeal to the travellers and the truckies - there's no room for that at Parkes or Forbes," Jenny said. "It will have something like 20 or so B double spots, there will be showers so people can make more of a planned stop. "With McDonald's we can tap into those travellers and truckies, and then we'll still have the one in town for locals." Jenny and Dave moved to Parkes and became the proud owners of Parkes and Forbes McDonald’s three years ago. It was a dream come true to own a restaurant - or two - for the couple, with Jenny having started out as a McDonald’s crew member at 14 years old. "I'm super excited to have a third restaurant," she said. The new McDonald’s is under construction, with the aim of opening to the public towards the end of the year. There are plans for an official opening of the highway service centre in October. The former truckstop will be demolished in the future with no confirmed date as yet. There will be no changes to the BP East End service station in Clarinda Street, however management is expecting an increase in customers since it will become the only commercial petrol station on the southern side of town and is asking the community to bear with them as they adjust to the change.
