By JOEL SAWYER

BOROUGH planning officers have defended themselves against criticism for allegedly making a shock U-turn over three motorway service applications.

In the space of just two working weeks over the new year, Warrington Borough Council planning officers have reversed their recommendations on planning permission for three motorway service stations.

Both the Manchester Ship Canal Company (MSCC) and Swayfields Ltd are battling it out to develop a service station along the Warrington stretch of the M6.

MSCC is gunning for a patch at Junction 21 at Woolston, while Swayfields has submitted two schemes for Junction 22 at Winwick. All three applications are the subject of a public inquiry, which will start next month.

As a result, the borough council's development control committee has been invited to comment on the applications.

Members, on the advice of planning officers, vehemently opposed the Winwick schemes on environmental grounds at their last meeting citing the impact they would have on historical green belt land but made little comment on the Woolston application.

However, the decision was made without the benefit of a traffic impact report.

A traffic assessment has now been completed, which shows that the Woolston application would not work but the Winwick schemes would.

Winwick Parish Council has labelled the move a "U-turn" and is raising its concerns with the borough council's chief executive.

Chris Haggett, parish council clerk, said: "News of Warrington Borough Council's proposed U-turn on the motorway services planning applications has been received with incredulity by members of Winwick Parish Council."

But the borough's chief planning officer John Earle this week argued that it was not a U-turn, as the initial decision had been made without the benefit of a highways report, and that it was now a question of need.

If a 'need' for a service station is found, by either committee members or a Government inspector in the public inquiry, then the arguments for the Winwick applications would have much greater weight as they were the only ones technically feasible.

A special meeting of the development control committee was held last night, Wednesday, after the GUARDIAN went to press, to discuss the recommendations.