Wigan moves to oppose Tritax’s 8.2m sq ft rail freight terminal
A motion has been tabled encouraging councillors to object to the huge logistics scheme as the authority doubles down on efforts to resist Green Belt development.
Wigan Council will vote next on whether to object to Tritax’s ILP North plans for an 8.2m sq ft industrial scheme featuring a rail freight terminal capable of accommodating 16 trains a day, which are .
The 500-acre scheme is located predominantly in St Helens but 180 acres west of Winwick Lane in Lowton are governed by Wigan Council.
The council had been promoting the site for release from the Green Belt in its emerging local plan but withdrew it along with three others in August.
The motion that will be voted on next week was tabled by Cllr Dane Anderton and Cllr Jenny Gregory. It states that Tritax’s development “would have a significant impact on Lowton and the surrounding communities, while offering insufficient direct benefit to those communities to justify the loss of protected land”.
ILP North is considered a nationally significant infrastructure project, therefore its development consent order application will be evaluated by the Planning Inspectorate with the secretary of state for transport making the final decision.
Prior to going to the Planning Inspectorate, ILP North will undergo a third consultation focussed on highways, noise, and air quality in the first quarter of 2027.
The DCO application will be submitted the following quarter, with the examination by the Planning Inspectorate due to commence by the end of 2027. A final decision from the secretary of state is targeted for the first quarter of 2028.
An IPL North spokesperson said: “ILP North is a nationally significant rail freight interchange that would support the movement of freight from road to rail and support the Government’s target to grow rail freight by at least 40% by 2040.
“Once operational, it will deliver significant economic benefits for St Helens, Wigan, Warrington and the wider northwest. This includes supporting up to 6,000 jobs, contributing around £230m a year to the economy and generating approximately £16.8m a year in business rates.
“We note the resolution and will continue to engage with Wigan Council, alongside other local authorities, as we prepare the DCO application to ensure that ILP North responds to the feedback received from residents and other consultees. ”
The project team for ILP North includes AJA, Avison Young, AXIS, Baker Rose, BWB, Eversheds, FPCR, Framptons, Iceni, Redmore Environmental, Savills, Stantec, and Vanguardia.
