PLANNING chiefs at Warrington are to visit the site of a proposed £20 million inland port on the Manchester Ship Canal before deciding whether they support the scheme.
Members of the borough’s development control committee agreed that because of the size of the project and strong local objections based on traffic problems they should inspect the site.
The scheme has been put forward by the Manchester Ship Canal Company as part of the ambitious, £50 million Ocean Gateway project, which would link Manchester and Liverpool along the canal and the River Mersey.
Port Warrington would be built on the site of a redundant berth on the canal close to Moore Nature Reserve and Acton Grange Viaduct.
It would be linked to the West Coast Main Line by reinstating a freight line which has not been used for years when the site was used as a sand quarry.
The site is wholly in the Green Belt – and planning officers say the scheme amounts to inappropriate development for that reason..
But they believe the encouragement it would offer to move freight from road to rail or water represents the special circumstances necessary to outweigh Green Belt considerations.
Strong objections have been lodged by Walton and Moore parish councils – who both fear traffic problems. The Moore council is concerned about heavy lorries using Runcorn Road.
Halton Borough Council is also concerned about traffic issues and the sustainability of the site because of access problems for employees.
Warrington borough councillor Paul Kennedy says the scheme could prove to be a good idea. But he called for a site visit as he believes careful thought needs to be given to the issue of heavy traffic on what are unsuitable and unsafe roads.
