DEVELOPERS behind proposals for a distribution hub on green belt land in south Warrington have paid the council more than £143,000 in planning application fees.

Earlier this year, developers Langtree and Panattoni submitted blueprints proposing the £180 million employment site, named Six 56 Warrington.

It would be located next to junction 20 of the M6 and junction nine of the M56 in Lymm.

They say it will deliver around 4,100 new logistics jobs and generate £7.1 million a year in business rates for the authority.

But the application has sparked widespread concerns over development on the green belt, air pollution and the types of jobs to be created.

Proposals were also lodged with Cheshire East Council, as six per cent of the site area falls within its administrative boundary.

No buildings are proposed in this part of the site, with the land identified as an area for ‘ecological mitigation’.

Government guidance says planning-related fees were introduced so users of the planning system, rather than taxpayers, meet the costs incurred by local authorities when deciding on applications.

Bosses at Warrington Town Hall confirmed the applicants have paid a total of £143,360 in application fees to the council, as the larger part of the application site sits within its boundary.

The authority stated this is ‘in accordance with national legislation’.

A spokesman said: “Planning application fees received are used by the council to fund the planning service.”

A date for when the application will be heard is yet to be confirmed.

“The application remains under active consideration and the development management committee date will be announced in due course,” added the spokesman.

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

The hub is planned to provide 288,000 square metres of employment space, however, it would see a huge chunk of the borough’s green belt land released.

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