PROTESTERS opposing a huge warehouse development at Basford sidings are calling on agents to pull the plug on the project.

Borough councillor Maureen Campbell has appealed to the North West Development Agency (NWDA) to withdraw its funding from the scheme, which will create hundreds of jobs in the area.

She says it goes against the principals of the NWDA because the development is not in keeping with the location and scale of the brief.

Cllr Campbell said: "The NWDA has been asked to fund all of the project upfront and then they will be paid back over 20 years even though it doesn't agree with it.

"We are hoping the NWDA will say it won't fund it then we can say 'thank God'.

"We are pushing, along with the South Cheshire Chamber of Business, the residents action group, the parish council and the NWDA, for a wide spectrum of quality jobs.

"At the moment the borough has an average wage of £22,000 and an average house price of £117,000.

"Are we going to oppress the area with low-paid, unskilled jobs that pay £11,000?

"They are selling us down the river for 30 pieces of silver and a tarmac road.

"These warehouses are going to be in operation 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. During this time 24 bays will be in operation with lorries turning round and beeping - all next to houses, some of which are listed."

The 360-acre project involves a £44million logistics development earmarked for the eastern site and a similar £60million scheme on the west.

Council leader Peter Kent said he was disappointed by the attitude of the protesters.

He added: "We have made some 22 different changes to the development so they can hardly claim that we have not listened to them or been flexible.

"I believe the North West Development Agency, which has always been our partner in this, will give them extremely short shrift.

"We have had a long established policy to attract jobs into the area. We are talking about 20 years for this area to reach its capacity.

"Over that period, the lowest estimate is for 10,000 extra jobs and we have set ourselves the target of 500 jobs per year and this development is a part of that.

"While we will continue to listen to the views of residents, we are not going to jeopardise the future jobs of 100,000 people for the views of a minority, many of whom have only just moved into the area."