Langtree to study Local Plan comments and rationale before deciding on future of Six56 Green Belt plan

FOLLOWING on from the Government inspectors instructing Warrington Borough Council to remove the proposed Six56 logistics development site from the Local Plan, developers Langtree are now considering their next steps.

Commenting on the initial feedback from the Planning Inspectorate as to the appropriateness of bringing forward its proposed Six56 development in Warrington, John Downes, group chief executive of Langtree, said: “We have noted the Inspector’s comments and rationale and will be studying them both carefully before deciding on a way forward.”

As reported by Warrington Worldwide yesterday, inspectors have told Warrington Borough Council its proposed Local Plan is not sound and will require some significant modifications, including reducing the impact on Green Belt.

Inspectors, Andrea Mageean and Kevin Ward’s findings in relation to the employment land requirement, in particular the The South East Warrington Employment Area (Policy MD6) (SEWEA), will have significant implications for the proposed Six56 development on Green Belt land.

They said the council’s employment land requirement of 316.26ha was not justified.
They added that the proposed South East Warrington Employment Area (SEWEA) would involve the removal of some 137ha of land from the Green Belt and its allocation for employment development (B8 and B2 and related ancillary uses) and that all other reasonable options for meeting the identified need for development should be examined, before concluding that exceptional circumstances exist to justify changes to Green Belt boundaries.
“A key element of the Council’s case is that there is an employment land requirement of 316.26ha and that this can’t be met without altering the Green Belt and allocating land for development. However, we have concluded that the requirement of 316.26ha is not justified and it should be reduced to 168ha. We have also concluded that the supply of employment land provided by existing commitments and the proposed Fiddlers Ferry Main Development Area would be sufficient to meet this reduced requirement.
“In terms of the range and type of employment land that would be available, there is no strategic need for the SEWEA therefore.”
“Exceptional circumstances to alter the Green Belt in this case do not exist. In order for the Local Plan to be justified and consistent with national policy the proposed SEWEA and Policy MD6 should be deleted therefore.”