ARMAGEDDON will result from the Local Plan which will govern house building in the town for the next 20 years according to the first people to have their say.

Warrington Borough Council held the first of six public consultations at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on Wednesday.

The sessions give people a chance to view the plans and ask questions to council representatives.

Not everyone at the consultation greeted the council’s proposals with positivity, especially a mid-aged couple living in Appleton Thorn who gave a scathing reaction.

They told the Guardian they were ‘horrified’ by what they had seen, branded the local plan as ‘disgraceful’ and argued the end result would be ‘Armageddon’.

“South Warrington in particular has been stung badly and it is an attack on our way of life,” they said.

“The area is full of beautiful villages with plenty of green open spaces and walking paths, but if what the council is proposing comes off, we will lose our local identity.

Warrington Guardian:

“People don’t realise the scale of what is being proposed, and the whole thing will end in Armageddon.”

As expected, one of the key issues raised by Warrington residents was the proposals to build more than 7,000 new homes on green belt land.

This is part of their commitment to deliver 18,900 homes – at a rate of 945 per year – up until 2037.

Members of the ILoveWA4 – Save Our Greenbelt group were unhappy with what they saw during the consultation.

“As residents of Grappenhall, we really oppose these plans and especially building on green belt,” a spokesman said.

READ MORE > How to have your say on Local Plan

“There is no need for the number of houses being proposed and it will create a logistical nightmare if they are all built as the roads are just not suitable for so much traffic.

“The houses are also not affordable for the regular person and ageing population living in the town.

“I get that people have to live somewhere but this shouldn’t be on greenbelt land which be terrible for future generations.”

Other issues highlighted by residents included the strain the number of new homes would place on both facilities and roads in local areas.

Cllr Norman Partington, from Croft Parish Council, wanted to reassure Croft residents that their views on building on greenbelt had been heard and blamed central government for the extent of the house building proposals.

“We’ve been put in this position by the government who say how many houses are required to be built,” he said.

“They are also the ones who have not put any money into social developments and transforming brownfield sites.

“Ultimately, the people we represent tell us they strongly oppose building on green belt land and we have to listen to their views.”

During the event, a spokesman for Warrington Borough Council said: “We have listened to residents’ questions and concerns and they are mainly what we expected.

“People raised issues they have about air pollution, traffic, infrastructure, building on green belt and the effect on schools and doctor’s surgeries.

“This is the whole point of holding consultations such as this, so that we can hear people’s views on the plans we have proposed.”

The most common opinion attendees told the Warrington Guardian was that they found the consultation really helpful to understand what the plans meant for both the town as a whole and the area they lived in.

One elderly resident told us: “I’m glad the Council have put on the consultation to educate people about the plans rather than sifting through reams of information online which is difficult to understand.”

Others said their main concern was the effect the proposals would have on traffic, with Warrington’s road infrastructure already straining at peak times.

“Before they start building hundreds of houses, the roads need sorting out first as there are already bottlenecks all over Warrington, potholes on most roads and large queues getting on and off the M62,” said another retired resident.

Warrington Guardian:

“The main roads are jammed as it is at peak times, so trying to lower the amount of people driving sounds good but the whole garden suburb plan is not going to work for traffic.

“The main jobs the plan proposes to create are in distribution as Warrington has links with the M62, M6 and M56, but these are not well paid and the area could end up as a suburb for the whole of the north west.”

Attendees who run businesses in Birchwood threw their support behind the plans, which they say will help their companies to run smoothly.

An employee for a distribution company said: “I think the plan looks very good on paper and it will be interesting to see what will come of it.

“It should help us manage stock availability and hopefully it will bring a lot of employment opportunities to the town.”