The High Court has overturned Planning Inspectorate approval for a 167,000 sq ft Greater Manchester industrial and logistics (I&L) scheme by Peel NRE, ending a dispute between the developer and the council over financial contributions to a new road.
Carrington Relief Road, a £130m project to unlock development. Credit: Trafford Council
Quashing permission for the industrial, storage and distribution scheme at Manchester Road in Carrington, Justice Kimblin ruled that the planning inspector had failed to address whether the developer should make a financial contribution for new roads.
He also found that the inspector’s decision last summer had limited an assessment of highways impacts to the proposal alone, rather than the broader context of the council’s New Carrington Masterplan.
Trafford Council had rejected the scheme after failing to obtain a £5.4m contribution from Peel NRE towards a £130m relief road, which it claimed was essential to the execution of its masterplan.
The masterplan, which includes proposals for 5,000 homes and 3.75m sq ft of new employment space by 2040, is a key part of Places for Everyone, a long-term plan for nine Greater Manchester districts, adopted in March 2024.
Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s executive member for economy and regeneration, said: “As an authority, we are keen to see growth and development in Trafford, but it should be accompanied by suitable community facilities and infrastructure.
“Our concern has always been to ensure that developers pay proportionately for new infrastructure, rather than seeking to ‘cherry-pick’ for individual developments. We will only secure the growth and well-planned new communities that we all need if they are accompanied by the right transport and other supporting facilities.”
She added: “The Places for Everyone Plan envisaged that different sites would contribute collectively to future development needs, to the benefit of all.”
Kieran Tames, director and head of Peel NRE, said the firm was “disappointed” with the decision, which he claimed added “uncertainty to the delivery of new jobs and regeneration” in the area.
He added: “We will wait for confirmation of the redetermination process from the Planning Inspectorate and continue to work with Trafford Council and other stakeholders as the process moves forward.”
A planning application for the new 2.7-mile Carrington Relief Road was submitted by the council last month. The route will run from the north of Partington to the existing Carrington Spur near Ashton on Mersey.
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