WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones says it is very disappointing that the council has opted to leave the Peel Hall door ‘open to developers’.

An appeal against the council’s decision to refuse Satnam’s application for 1,200 homes on the land was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate in December.

Labour’s Mrs Jones had called on the Labour-run authority to remove Peel Hall from the local plan.

But she, along with campaigners, have suffered a huge blow after the site was included in the draft document.

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Mrs Jones said: “It is very disappointing that the council continues to leave the Peel Hall door open to developers.

“They say that the local plan has been drawn up having been ‘informed’ by feedback from the public.

“I would have thought that the almost unanimous opposition to any development on the site by literally thousands of people would have ‘informed’ them in a much better way than it, sadly, seems to have done.

“There is still time to change the plan.

“Both borough councillors and parish councillors support removing the site from the plan.

“They have signed my petition asking for that to happen and fought elections promising to oppose any development there.”

The draft local plan sets out proposals to build around 1,200 homes and facilities, including a primary school and residential care home, on the 69-hectare greenfield site.

Mrs Jones added: “If the plan goes out to public consultation, I will present my petition, which stands currently at nearly 1,000 signatures, as part of the process.

“I hope the council does listen to the overwhelming ‘no’ from residents on this issue.”