Utter dismay at ‘behind closed doors’ decision not to contest motorway service station plan

A councillor has described a feeling of “utter dismay,” after members of Warrington council’s planning committee voted behind closed doors, not to defend their decision to reject plans for a controversial motorway service station on the M62 near Birchwood.

At last Thursday night’s planning meeting at the Town Hall members of Warrington Borough Council’s planning committee voted not to continue to defend the appeal relating to motorway services on greenbelt land North of Junction 11 on the M62.

Cllr. Wendy Maisey, Culcheth Glazebury and Croft spoke at the meeting and again reiterated her concerns about the inappropriate development on green belt in her ward. She pleaded with the Committee to support and fight the upcoming appeal in terms of resource, personnel and also requested that the advice to Warrington Borough Council from their Q.C. was made public.

The plan for a 100-bed hotel, fuel filling station, electric charging station and facilities building are included in the proposals put forward by Extra MSA which was rejected by members of the planning committee, against officer advice.

The applicant has subsequently appealed against the council’s decision and a major public inquiry is set to take place in March – expected to last nine days. Moto Hospitality objected to the original application and will be one of the main parties at the inquiry.

After the meeting, Cllr Maisey said “The decision taken by the DMC was devastating news for the ward I represent. I’m also very uneasy about some of the proceedings on the night and that as an elected Council member I was asked to leave the room for the Part two part of the meeting.

“I challenged this at the time to no avail and when the 45 minute Part two meeting was over I was invited back in.

Describing a feeling of “utter dismay” Cllr. Maisey added: “The lack of transparency and openness on such a huge development has left me feeling very angry. It’s a double whammy on top of the fact that inevitably we will have a motorway service station forced upon us in my ward.”

The five opposition Councillors in Part one of the meeting spoke strongly in favour of defending their decision made in June for the service station not to be approved.

However, when the decision was announced afterwards, the committee of 12 councillors, voted not to defend the upcoming appeal.

The committee heard that the National Highways, formerly known as Highways England, had now indicated that it supports the new service area proposals.
Warrington’s officers stood by the advice they gave the committee back in June – that the scheme should be approved. They said they could not defend the appeal because they would be forced to admit that their honest opinion is that the service area should be allowed.

In June 2021, Warrington Borough Council’s development management committee resolved to refuse planning consent for the scheme, north of Junction 11. This was on the grounds it would represent inappropriate development in the Green Belt. Cllr. Maisey said at the time that the decision was ‘a victory for common sense’.

Planners to be asked if they STILL oppose motorway service scheme