DEVELOPERS of a new motorway service station at Junction 11 of the M62 near Croft have successfully discharged a planning condition relating to Great Crested Newts.
A mitigation licence has been secured in relation to the erection of a Motorway Service Area including facilities building, up to 100 bedroom hotel, service yard, fuel filling station, electric charging station, parking facilities, landscaping and amenity areas and associated infrastructure and earthworks.
A mitigation licence is required if work will have impacts on Great Crested Newts (GCN) that would otherwise be illegal, such as: capturing, killing, disturbing or injuring them (on purpose or by not taking enough care)
damaging or destroying their breeding or resting places (even accidentally) obstructing access to their resting or sheltering places (on purpose or by not taking enough care).
Planning permission for a new Motorway Service Area was approved on 21st September 2023. The original outline planning permission LPA ref. 2019/35726 was allowed at appeal in May 2022 by the Planning Inspectorate. There had been local opposition to the development on Green Belt land.
Spawforths were instructed on behalf of their client, Extra MSA Group, to submit an application to discharge planning Condition 26, pursuant to planning permission LPA ref. 2023/00333/VARC at the Site referred to as Land at Junction 11 of the M62 Motorway, Warrington.
Discharge of condition 26 (Great Crested Newts) relates to condition 26 (Great Crested Newt habitat mitigation licencing), is considered acceptable and the condition is considered met and includes a Great Crested Newt District Level Licensing Impact Assessment & Conservation Payment Certificate countersigned by Natural England.
Natural England had no comment to make on the discharge of the condition.
The lack of comment from Natural England does not imply that there are no impacts on the natural environment, but only that the application is not likely to result in significant impacts on statutory designated
nature conservation sites or landscapes. It is for the local planning authority to determine whether or not this application is consistent with national and local policies on the natural environment. Other bodies and
individuals may be able to provide information and advice on the environmental value of this site and the impacts of the proposal to assist the decision making process. We advise local planning authorities to obtain
specialist ecological or other environmental advice when determining the environmental impacts of development.
