UPDATED plans for Warrington West station on the edge of Chapelford have been given the green light.

Councillors approved the application for the building and a 245-space car park at a meeting last night, Wednesday.

The new scheme is expected to cost more than £17.2 million and a council spokesman confirmed the price has not increased since last year.

But in the updated designs, the station building is smaller and the number of parking spaces has been reduced.

And covers will no longer be installed on the footbridge, stairs and platforms.

The council is asking for £4.2 million from Network Rail’s new station fund but the bid has been delayed by the general election and may not be decided until September.

The rest of the funding will come from Warrington Borough Council, the LEP and contributions from David Wilson Homes and Gemini.

The scheme was originally due to be completed this year at a cost of £12.66 million but has been hit by delays.

More than 800,000 passengers a year are expected to use the station by 2025.

In a consultation with residents in February, concerns were raised about antisocial behaviour in the area and customers parking on residential streets instead of using the pay and display car park, which is expected to cost £1 per day.

There are also fears for the future of Sankey for Penketh station where the service will be reduced to a peak hour stopping train once the project is completed.

The planning documents say the council is ‘committed’ to lobbying the rail industry to improve the rail links for customers using Sankey for Penketh.

Read more: Updated plans for Warrington West station have almost 40 fewer parking spaces