I WAS delighted to see recently that a planning application for the new station at West Warrington has finally been submitted.

The planning process exists for a reason — so that local people can have their say.

There may well be some small but important details of the plan that need to be changed. However I do hope that planning bosses will allow the new station to proceed because I think it will benefit a large section of the town.

Sankey for Penketh station does a decent job, but it has considerable limitations.

There is very little parking space and the facilities for disabled people still lag behind the standards that we have now come to expect.

Frankly, the station would struggle to cope if there was a significant increase in passengers during rush hour.

The new station, which would be located close to the junction of Sycamore Lane and Tankersley Grove, would be close to several bus routes, have ample parking space, a proper taxi rank and lifts to allow less mobile passengers to access the station platforms.

Better still, rather than having just a slow hourly service to Manchester and Liverpool, the new station would have that and a 'semi-fast' service — probably two stops to Liverpool Lime Street and two stops to Manchester Oxford Road.

A quicker and more convenient train service from this growing area of the town will lead to more people choosing to commute to work rather than drive.

A number of my constituents have told me about congestion problems around junction eight of the M62 as traffic from the Chapelford area tries to get on to the motorway.

A new station is no panacea, but every car taken off the road means slightly less congestion in the area.

It is also likely to mean less traffic coming into the area as well, once the Omega development takes off.

None of this means that Sankey for Penketh station is going to close, although services outside of peak times may be less frequent.

The benefits of a new station will be felt across the area, so I am glad that the Government has committed funds to this project.