Developer considering options after plans for major M6 and M56 distribution hub were refused

The developer behind plans for a massive distribution hub on green belt land in South Warrington is considering its options after plans were rejected by Government. The employment site, dubbed Six56 Warrington, would have been situated adjacent to junction 20 of the M6 and junction nine of the M56 in Lymm.

Developers Langtree and Panattoni had their outline plans for the significant employment site approved by Warrington Borough Council's development management committee in 2022, subject to conditions, a S106 obligation, and no intervention from the Secretary of State. However, following a public inquiry into the contentious plans, which was adjourned and concluded in June, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, has now refused planning permission, agreeing with the inspector's recommendation that 'very special circumstances' do not exist to justify this development in the green belt.

John Downes, Langtree group chief executive, said: "We are disappointed as it seems to fly in the face of the government's stated growth ambitions, but this was always a possibility. We'll take a good look at the ruling and assess our options."

Liberal Democrat Cllr Ian Marks, chair of the South Warrington Parish Councils' Planning Group, described it as 'fantastic' news that 'will be welcomed by most of the residents' of south Warrington.

He remarked: "She (Angela Rayner) agreed with the planning inspector that the development would not have been appropriate and would have caused substantial damage to the openness of the green belt. There would have been a significant adverse effect from 24-hour traffic movements, lighting and general site operations."

"Simply, there are no 'very special circumstances' that are sufficient to outweigh the harm to the green belt. The South Warrington Planning Group is cross-party and has campaigned right from the start against this vast logistics site. It has been a tortuous journey but we are so pleased our efforts have paid off.", reports Cheshire Live.

Cllr Mark Browne, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition on Warrington Borough Council, expressed his relief: "Borough and parish colleagues from my party have been very active in the campaign. We feared a late decision by the secretary of state to ignore the Local Plan inspectors' and the Six56 inspector's recommendations to keep the site in the green belt might happen but happily this has not taken place. This is great news."