ANGER is mounting over plans to build a £180 million distribution hub on green belt land in south Warrington.

Developers Langtree and Panattoni have submitted an application proposing the major new employment site, named Six 56 Warrington, which is planned to create around 4,100 new logistics jobs.

It would provide 288,000 square metres of employment space and is being tipped to generate £7.1 million a year in business rates for the council.

If built, the hub would be located next to junction 20 of the M6 and junction nine of the M56 in Lymm.

However, it would see a huge chunk of the borough’s green belt land released.

But Neal Biddle, Langtree group development director, believes there is a ‘huge demand’ for the facility following a change in shopping habits.

He also called on the town to ‘capitalise’ on the opportunity.

“The key benefits are obviously jobs,” he said.

“There are over 300 construction jobs but, more importantly, there are over 4,000 long-term jobs.

“A wide range of jobs, a diverse range of jobs, from everything from warehouse operatives to quite highly-skilled technicians, particularly in the modern logistics warehouses that we have nowadays.

“Omega has nearly finished, this is the logical next step.

“This could bring over £7 million per annum in additional rates, income, for the council.”

But concerns have been raised over the plans.

Liberal Democrat Grappenhall councillor Ryan Bate says the hub would be ‘transformative in an almost wholly negative way’.

He added: “The big question on everybody’s minds is who is actually going to benefit from this, because it certainly won’t be local people whose roads will be wrecked, whose local environment will be completely and utterly changed?

“And who will actually get those jobs? Will that money go to local businesses? Probably not is the answer.”

Canaries on Tour campaigners Helen Gurnani and Tanya Baker are among the campaigners battling to protect sites across the borough from development.

Warrington Guardian:

Helen Gurnani and Tanya Baker dress as canaries due to their association with the warning of danger, or pollution

They have been making their presence felt across the town while dressed up as canaries due to their association with the warning of danger, or pollution.

Mrs Gurnani said: “The diverse protest groups related to the local plan are united in their condemnation of the Six 56 proposal.

“It is being thrust forward prematurely, along with the reapplication from Stobart, when the local plan consultation is only just starting and is set to run till June.

“How can the people truly have a say under these circumstances?

“Warrington has just been furnished with the huge Omega site.

“Why on earth do we need even more logistics and distribution, the jobs from which are not well paid and are increasingly being replaced by automation?

“It is totally unjustified to put these structures on the green belt land, which should be protecting us from urban sprawl.

“Warrington’s air pollution is already unacceptably high – why should we accept further traffic on our roads just because we are a convenient location for these companies to bus stuff round the country from?”

And as concerns over the draft local plan mount, Mrs Gurnani urged residents to ‘get active’ on social media protest pages, along with demanding action from their councillors and the town’s MPs.

She added: “We can’t stress enough that everyone in the town stands to lose from these plans.”

Warrington South MP Faisal Rashid has also commented on the controversial proposals.

The Labour politician says he is concerned over the potential loss of green belt, as well as the impact on the highway network.

He said: “I have always said that I object building on green belt wherever possible.

“If there are no exceptional circumstances, there should not be any development in the green belt.

“We must also have a balance, we do need jobs in this town, of course. But we need quality jobs.”

Langtree and Panattoni are bringing forward their proposals in response to the council’s draft local plan, which has identified a need for 362 hectares of new employment land up until 2037.

The planning application is expected to be heard by the development management committee in early summer.

If approved there would be an ‘intensive period’ of work involved before construction could begin, with tenants expected to occupy buildings from spring 2021.