CROFT Parish Council is calling on Warrington Borough Council to explain why it has purchased a property and adjoining land within the parish for £1.55 million, after councillors unexpectedly uncovered the acquisition while researching other major development proposals affecting the village.
The discovery has prompted the Parish Council to seek greater transparency over the intended use of the site, particularly given Croft’s recent experience with the controversial Kenyon Lane traveller transit site proposal.
Councillors believe that, given the history of the parish and the scale of the investment involved, it is entirely reasonable for residents to expect an explanation.
Croft is currently facing an unprecedented level of development pressure. The village is currently considering proposals for up to 200 new homes at Turret Hall Farm, alongside the potential ILP North (Tritax) Strategic Rail Freight Interchange, with several other significant developments proposed across North Warrington.
As a result, the Parish Council has been undertaking a detailed review of these proposals to understand their cumulative impact on local roads, schools, healthcare, drainage, utilities, green spaces and the wider character of the village. As part of that work, councillors have examined planning applications, public records, Land Registry information and other published documents.
It was during that research that they made an unexpected discovery.
HM Land Registry records show that Warrington Borough Council completed the purchase of a property and adjoining land on Winwick Lane, close to Junction 22 of the M6, on 30 March 2026. The purchase price recorded by HM Land Registry is £1.55 million.
The Parish Council believes this purchase raises wider questions because no public explanation appears to have been provided identifying what the site is intended to be used for.
The discovery has inevitably brought back memories of another significant Council land proposal within Croft. Warrington Borough Council previously proposed acquiring land at Kenyon Lane for a Gypsy and Traveller transit site.
That proposal generated a huge amount of public concern before the Council decided not to proceed; however, when withdrawing the proposal, the WBC also made clear that it remained committed to identifying a suitable location elsewhere within the borough to meet its statutory responsibilities.
The Parish Council believes the recent experience explains why any significant Council land acquisition within Croft naturally attracts public interest and why transparency is important.
The issue, they say, is understanding how public money is being spent and what is planned within the parish.
The acquisition comes at a time when Warrington Borough Council has repeatedly spoken publicly about the scale of its financial challenges. Residents have seen the Council discussing significant budget pressures, including a review of its property portfolio and disposal of assets as part of its wider financial strategy.
With that in mind, Croft Parish Council believes it is entirely reasonable to ask why the Council has invested £1.55 million acquiring additional land in the Parish when it is disposing it elsewhere in the Borough.
There may be an entirely legitimate operational justification for doing so but until the intended purpose is publicly explained, councillors believe local people are entitled to ask why this investment was made, why this location was selected and how it fits within the Council’s wider financial strategy.
Speaking to Warrington Worldwide the Parish Council explained that after discovering the purchase, they went back over WBC published Cabinet papers where they found reference in the forward plan to “Acquisition of Property. – Croft, Culcheth & Glazebury”
That proposal subsequently appeared before Cabinet on 10 November 2025, but because the report was considered in confidential session, very little information was released publicly.
At around the same time Warrington Worldwide received a tip-off that there were plans for a transit site at Croft – which were denied by the council.
However, the published Cabinet decision states that members approved the acquisition of “a significant strategic opportunity for the Council for operational purposes.”
Cabinet also approved prudential borrowing to fund the acquisition together with associated purchase costs, professional fees, surveys and Stamp Duty Land Tax.
The decision also made provision for alternative operational uses or the disposal of the site should planning permission not be secured.
The public Cabinet papers do not identify the property concerned, nor has Warrington Borough Council publicly confirmed that the Cabinet decision relates to the Winwick Lane purchase identified through HM Land Registry, but Croft Parish Council believes the timing, nature and scale of the approvals appear consistent with the acquisition identified through the Land Registry.
Whilst the Parish Council has said it recognises that local authorities sometimes negotiate property purchases confidentially to protect the public purse those negotiations concluded when the purchase completed on 30 March 2026.
With the acquisition now recorded on the public Land Registry, the Parish Council’s view is that this changes the position.
Councillors believe that once a purchase has completed, and particularly where significant public funds have been committed, there is a strong public interest in explaining why the acquisition was made and what it is intended to deliver.
Providing that explanation would help avoid unnecessary speculation and strengthen public confidence in local decision-making.
Questions the Parish Council believes deserve answers
Croft Parish Council has written to WBC asking what it believes are entirely reasonable questions for the council to answer:
They are
• What is the intended operational purpose of the Winwick Lane site?
• Why was this location selected?
• How does the acquisition support the Council’s wider strategic objectives?
• How does the investment align with the Council’s wider property and financial strategy?
• Does the Council intend to submit a planning application for the site?
• If so, what opportunities will exist for public consultation and engagement with Croft Parish Council?
Croft Parish Council believes the simplest way to avoid unnecessary speculation is for WBC to explain openly why it purchased the property and adjoining land on Winwick Lane and what it intends to use it for.
The Parish Council members believe that when a council is facing well-publicised financial pressures and invests £1.55 million in acquiring land within a parish already experiencing significant development pressures, it is entirely reasonable for the parish council to ask questions on behalf of the community in the hope that it is prepared should history be repeating itself.
Warrington Borough Council has been contacted for a response.
