Extra MSA Group Warrington Motorway Service Area, J11 M62 Replacement Planning Statement Revision 07 20th January 2020 Revision Record Revision Date of Revision Nature of Author Checked By Reference Revision 03 10/01/2020 Formatting and SC DR updates 04 15/01/2020 Reflect to SC SC Counsel Advice 05 17/01/2020 Reflect to SC SC Counsel Advice 06 17/01/2020 Reflect to SC SC Counsel Advice 07 19/01/2020 - SC SC Report Author SC Report Date January 2020 Project No. 4151 Document Ref. P0-TP-SPA-RP-P4151-0020 Revision 07 2 Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................... 4 2. Background to Motorway Service Areas in the UK and Extra MSA Group ...................................................................................................... 8 3. Warrington MSA Junction 11 M62 – Site Description and Planning History .................................................................................................. 15 4. Development Proposals Overview .................................................... 27 5. Stakeholder Engagement Summary ................................................. 55 6. Statutory Policy Context and Other Relevant Policies .................. 64 7. Planning Assessment and Justification .............................................. 89 A) Compliance with National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF 19) ............................................................................................................... 90 B) Compliance with the Warrington Local Plan Core Strategy (July 2014) ................................................................................................... 165 C) Material Considerations ................................................................... 179 D) Non-Compliance with the Development Plan ............................... 180 8. Potential Conditions and Section 106 Heads of Terms ............... 181 9. Summary and Conclusions ............................................................... 184 Appendices ........................................................................................................ 187 Appendix 1 .................................................................. Leading Counsel’s Opinion on Highway Need Appendix 2 ............................................................. Email from Highways England confirming spacing 3 1. Introduction 1.1. This Planning Statement is a replacement of the original Planning Statement prepared by Spawforths (dated August 2019). The revised Planning Statement has been prepared in response to a request from Warrington MBC planning officers to set out the planning justification for the Application Proposals in an alternative form to that set out in the original Planning Statement. To avoid confusion, the revised Planning Statement supersedes the original document, which no longer forms part of the Planning Application. 1.2. On behalf of Extra MSA Group, Spawforths have prepared and submitted an outline planning application for a ‘New Concept’ Motorway Service Area (MSA) on land at Junction 11 of the M62 Motorway. The application was submitted on 30th August 2019 and comprises an outline application with all matters, except for access, reserved for consideration at a later date. The proposal comprises: Erection of a Motorway Service Area including Facilities Building, up to 100 bedroom Hotel, service yard, Fuel Filling Station, Electric Charging Station, parking facilities for each category of vehicle, access and internal circulation roads, structured and natural landscaping with outside amenity space/picnic space and dog walking zone, pedestrian and cycle links, boundary fencing, surface water drainage areas, ecological mitigation, pumping station(s), substation(s), retaining structures and associated infrastructure and earthworks. Structure of the Report 1.3. This Planning Statement is structured as follows: Section 2 Provides background information regarding Motorway Service Areas in the UK, along with information about the applicant Extra MSA Group. Section 3 Provides an overview of the site and its planning history. Section 4 Provides an overview of the proposed development. Section 5 Outlines the approach undertaken in respect to Stakeholder Involvement. Section 6 Outlines the relevant Statutory Planning Policy Context and Other Material Considerations that are relevant to the assessment of this application. 4 Section 7 Analysis of the Planning Merits of the Proposed Development including its potential compliance with the Development Plan and National Guidance Section 8 Sets out the proposed planning obligations that are known as this stage. Section 9 Summarises the findings of the report and concludes the overall balancing balance 1.4. The applicants have taken professional advice from a development team and supplementary information has been prepared in support of the application by the following consultants. The additional information accords with the validation requirements agreed during the pre- application discussions with the Council. 1.5. This Statement should be read in conjunction with these reports: 5 • Environmental Statement (Spawforths) o Part 1 o Non- Technical Summary o Geology, Hydrogeology and Ground Conditions o Traffic and Transportation o Water Resources o Landscape and Visual Impact o Ecology and Nature Conservation o Socio Economic o Noise and Vibration o Air Quality, Dust and Odour o Archaeology and Cultural Heritage o Utilities o Energy o Waste • Alternative Sites Assessment (Spawforths) • Benefits Plan (Spawforths) • Arboricultural Report (Wardell Armstrong) • Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (Wardell Armstrong) • Badger Report (Wardell Armstrong) • Great Crested Newt Reports (Wardell Armstrong) • Invertebrate Report (Wardell Armstrong) • Water Vole Report (Wardell Armstrong) • Reptile Survey (Wardell Armstrong) • Wintering Bird Survey (Wardell Armstrong) • Breeding Bird Survey (Wardell Armstrong) • Bat Survey Report (Wardell Armstrong) • Design and Access Statement (A519) • Economic Impact Assessment (Amion) • Employability and Social Impact Strategy (Amion) • Economic Impact Assessment (Amion) • Employment and Training Charter (Mark Dawe and Extra MSA Group) 6 • Employment Strategy (Mark Dawe and Extra MSA Group) • Flood Risk and Assessment (Wardell Armstrong) • Drainage Statement (Wardell Armstrong) • Heritage Statement (Wardell Armstrong) • Lighting Impact Assessment (Brentwood) • Phase I Environmental Assessment (Wardell Armstrong) • Phase II Geo-Environmental Assessment (Wardell Armstrong) • Statement of Community Involvement (Social Comms) • Sustainability Statement (Wardell Armstrong) • Energy Statement (Wardell Armstrong) • Transport Assessment (i-Transport) • Framework Travel Plan (i-Transport) • Construction Environmental Management Plan (Extra MSA Group) • Illustrative plans package (Architecture 519) • Package of adoption standard carriageway design drawings (i-Transport) • Addendum to the ES (Jan 2020) comprising: o Peatland Ecological and Construction Management Plan o Biodiversity Offsetting Report (DEFRA Metric) o Conceptual Site Model Report o Fuel Feasibility Report o Landscape and Visual Impact Summary o Information to inform Habitat Regulation Assessment o Indicative Brook Diversion – Long Section 7 2. Background to Motorway Service Areas in the UK and Extra MSA Group Motorway Service Area Provision in the UK 2.1. The Strategic Road Network plays a key role in the safe and efficient movement of goods, supplies and people around the United Kingdom; it is critical to the performance of the economy and is essential in helping to facilitate planned economic growth. 2.2. DfT Circular 02/2013 The Strategic Road Network and the Delivery of Sustainable Development, (paragraph 8) notes that “A well-functioning strategic road network enables growth by providing for safe and reliable journeys”1. 2.3. This is also confirmed by Department for Transport report ‘Action for Roads: A Network for the 21st Century’ (July 2013) which states that “The road network is vital to our nation and a crucial part of the national transport system. It provides real and direct economic benefits: to business, to workers, to consumers. Better connections support individual towns and cities and strengthen the country as a whole. Failures of the road network increase costs, stifle employment opportunities and make it harder to do business in the UK”.2 2.4. The need to keep the Strategic Road Network flowing, supporting economic connectivity and mitigating the cost of delay is fundamental to national economic performance. The resulting impact and costs of delays resulting from accidents on the Strategic Road Network can be significant and widespread. The Government estimates that the economic impact of a three lane carriageway closure on a busy motorway can be more than £500,0003. The social impact of accidents on the Strategic Road Network is also substantial and by 2020, Highways England has a target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the network by 40%4. 1 DfT Circular 02/2013. The Strategic Road Network and the Delivery of Sustainable Development. Annex B: Roadside Facilities for Road Users on Motorways and All Purpose Trunk Roads in England. 2 Paragraph 1, page 5. 3 Paragraph 1.4, Review of Investigation and Closure Procedures for Motorway Incidents – Preliminary Report (May 2011). Department for Transport, Highways Agency, Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office. 4 Paragraph 1.4, Review