VACANT land close to the town centre will be turned into a vehicle storage facility for a car dealership.

Halliwell Jones BMW’s application to store up to 150 cars on the council-owned site, off Hopwood Street and Grey Street, was approved by the development management committee on Wednesday.

The temporary consent will be in place for up to two years.

The plans also include the erection of a temporary six-metre high post for CCTV cameras, as well as five temporary street lighting columns with lanterns.

The applicant submitted that they needed a site on a temporary, urgent basis to accommodate vehicles subject to an unexpected safety recall.

It added that its Winwick Road premises ‘cannot accommodate’ the number of cars subject to the recall – and says there is no other land immediately available at reasonable cost.

Although the proposal is for up to a maximum of 150 vehicles, it is thought that a typical number at the site would be between 70 and 80 at any one time.

Highways officers say the applicant expects it to result in around 15 to 20 vehicle movements per day, based on the number of vehicles that can be repaired at the dealership each working day.

The council has entered into a ‘tenancy at will’ agreement with Halliwell Jones BMW, whereby either party may choose to immediately terminate the lease without notice, with the land then reverting to full ownership and control of the council.