Plans to build a massive logistics hub close to the Lymm M6/M56 interchange risk overwhelming local roads, destroying the green belt and fail to take account of wider new home proposals.
Warrington Conservatives are calling on the Borough Council to put a halt to speculative planning applications by urgently publishing their updated Local plan that sets a clear strategy for the next 20 years and which addresses where development can occur by providing the necessary infrastructure to facilitate the growth.
Conservative Councillor in Lymm, Andy Carter said Labour’s failure to publish a local plan in a timely manner has resulted in developers jumping on green belt land, promising new jobs but failing to meet the wider community needs of roads and services.
“It’s hardly surprising that organisations like Langtree are looking at land around Warrington, we are well located as a town mid way between Liverpool and Manchester with access to strategic road network but the Labour Council’s failure to get its act together on setting out a strategic plan for the Borough is a green light for developers to come along and put in random applications to build on greenfield sites without any serious consideration for wider implications. We’ll end up with ‘piecemeal planning’ that will make the lives of people living here a nightmare. No decisions on new homes for this area have been taken so how can we really appreciate the expansion needed to the M6 motorway junction at Lymm. A new logistics hub will also generate significant traffic but there’s no big picture thinking here”.
Consultations for the new Warrington Local Plan were concluded in summer 2017 but the Labour Council are still to reveal their preferred development options almost 18 months later.
Warrington Conservatives believe the planning applications from Eddie Stobart to create a new HQ and Langtree distribution Hub would impact on the wider region beyond Warrington and should be considered only once a full impact analysis has been undertaken by a planning Inspector.