Warrington South MP Andy Carter has told a Planning Inspector that there is plenty of brownfield land in Warrington for future employment sites and an application to build a gigantic logistics hub on the Green Belt should be rejected because it would drive a “coach and horses through the Borough Council’s proposed Local Plan”. The MP was speaking during the public inquiry held at The Base on Dallam Lane last Friday, 12th May 2023. In his statement, the MP told the Planning Inspector that the plans constituted ‘inappropriate development’ on Green Belt land and because it was no longer supported by the Schedule of Modifications published by the Council in March 2023, should not be given the go-ahead.
Andy Carter opened his remarks by stating that he was highly supportive of job creation and investment in Warrington South, and reminded the inquiry that he had been one of the biggest advocates of utilising brownfield land at the decommissioned Fiddler’s Ferry Power Station site for redevelopment. However he told the inquiry that the approval of the Six:56 development at this stage would be premature in light of the Government Inspectors’ examination of the Local Plan.
The Inspectors’ report last December found that the draft Local Plan was ‘not sound’ and in need of significant modifications to address the excessive amount of land being removed from the Green Belt. The Inspectors recommended that the overall provision of Green Belt land allocated for removal in the Local Plan should be reduced by 148ha, specifically identifying the land near to the M6 and M56 earmarked for the Six:56 development.
The MP told the inquiry: “In its response to the Inspectors, the Council has published a ‘Schedule of Modifications’ in which it is proposed to accept both suggestions of removing the overall allocation of employment land and the deletion of the South East Warrington Economic Area from the Plan, leaving that land wholly within the Green Belt. The necessary consultation period has now ended and the Inspectors’ final decision letter is anticipated. However, if this application were to be allowed now, it would be at odds with the Council’s current position and the opinions of the Local Plan Inspectors.
“Additionally, it would be prejudicial to the objectives of policies within the Emergent Local Plan for other parts of the Borough, not least of which is the potential redevelopment of Fiddler’s Ferry, which the Local Plan Inspectors consider will serve to meet a significant proportion of the Borough’s employment land requirements for the whole Plan period.”
Andy Carter also refuted Langtree’s argument that the removal of this land from the Green Belt would be considered acceptable under the Government’s policy on permissible development in circumstances where the benefits would outweigh the harm. The MP cited the Local Plan Inspectors’ post-hearing letter to Warrington Borough Council and their conclusions on the South East Warrington Economic Area (SEWEA), which stated that ‘Exceptional Circumstances to alter the Green Belt in this case do not exist. In order to be justified and consistent with national policy the SEWEA and Policy MD6 should be deleted.’
Commenting on the location of the site, the MP criticised the proposals for their failure to take into account the lack of nearby transport links, housing and services for prospective employees. Andy Carter told the Inspector that the traffic generated by the Six:56 development would exacerbate existing problems with the local transport network, with few and infrequent bus services passing by the site, and would not be feasible for walkers or cyclists owing to its lack of proximity to nearby settlements and the busy road network. Given the proposed 2,400 car parking spaces on the site, the MP called the expectation that the majority of the workforce would therefore depend on private car for travel an admission that Six:56 is “not sustainable”.
The MP took aim at the wider environmental impact of the development, pointing out that Warrington suffers from poor air quality which would only be worsened by the levels of vehicle movement associated with the expansive logistics operation. He also told to the inquiry that the land in question is predominantly in agriculture and associated uses, and development on open countryside would not only cause significant harm to the local ecosystem but also have a detrimental visual impact, with the value of historical listed buildings in the vicinity potentially diminished.
The Six:56 public inquiry has now been adjourned following a letter from Natural England querying whether the correct legal process had been carried with respect to the effect of traffic pollution on the Manchester Mosses alongside the M62. A legal requirement for a thirty-day consultation process to consider this issue means the inquiry is now likely to resume as late as October, owing to the diary commitments of participants.
