Plans to build an industrial complex on a former landfill site in Trafford have been submitted.
The proposals for a 200,000 sq ft development for industrial use in Carrington have been sent to Trafford council by the natural resources and energy business arm of developers Peel, known as Peel NRE.
The site, known as Peaksnook, between Manchester Road (A6144) and the Manchester ship canal is a partially restored former landfill site close to Junction 7 of the M60 and Flixton train station with routes to Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington.
The site became vacant in the 1990s and currently hosts a 20MW energy generation site to the south.
The developers say their plans to redevelop the 26-acre site support Trafford Council’s Local Plan which identifies Carrington as key location for regeneration to promote employment growth.
But Carrington residents have already criticised the way their ‘forgotten’ part of Trafford is treated by developers and the council.
The community previously slammed the authority for its approach to their area; saying they are sick of it being ‘ignored’ and treated like ‘an industrial backwater’.
And they’re not happy with the authority’s proposed solution to the congestion problem in the form of a relief road over the much-loved green space of Carrington Moss either.
The village’s public transport network was described as ‘woeful’ by members of its parish council and community group Friends of Carrington Moss, who say their village has been ‘ignored for 15 years’.
The area is already heavy with industry as pylons, lorries, building site traffic and gridlocked roads have become a permanent feature of the area.
Group members said sand blasting nearby creates plumes of dust that can be seen high over the village and they’re concerned about residents breathing this in and what it could contain.
They added that the lorries thundering through their village at all hours of the day and night are affecting families’ health, with children breathing in polluted air.
Peel NRE said around 10 acres of the land earmarked for these latest proposals are set to be used for general industry and storage and distribution floorspace while the remaining areas will be retained as green space with the protection and enhancement of existing landscape features.
Forsa Energy has also put forward plans to build a 40MW energy generation facility on the site this year. This development would provide electricity to the National Grid at times of peak demand and provide the grid with a flexible, secure reserve power supply at times when it is needed.
Kieran Tames, development director for Peel NRE, part of Peel L&P, said: “Our plans to repurpose this former landfill site in Carrington complement wider regeneration plans for the area and would help to provide a range of jobs and training opportunities to support the local economy.
“We will also be able to enhance existing habitats and improve on the biodiversity value of the site whilst bringing this underused brownfield land back into use.”
The plans are subject to planning permission and will go through the usual planning processes before Trafford council makes a decision on them.
