Residents along Station Road, Barton, near Halsall, are up in arms about a sudden and huge increase in the number of articulated lorries at a once quiet farm in West Lancashire.
The once quiet rural road has been turned into a HGV highway with in excess of 30 lorries per day travelling along the lane to deliver huge quantities of materials to a local farm. Deliveries often start as early as 3.30am and carry on well into the night.
Concerns have been raised with West Lancashire Parliamentary Candidate, Mike Prendergast, and West Lancashire Borough Councillor, Marilyn Westley, over the huge increases in traffic volumes and industrial activity at the site.
Mike Prendergast said, “The huge increase in the volume of traffic is a big concern for local residents. This is a narrow road with many young children out playing, pedestrians walking down a narrow pavement and residents are rightly concerned about road safety and the effect such traffic is having on the area.
The residents here are not naive, they know they live in an area of working farmland and are used to seeing and living with farming activity. The volume of traffic now though is way beyond what can reasonably be considered normal farming activity for the area.
The scale of the activity at the farm in question is verging on industrial in both scale and quantity.
As well as the traffic volumes, there are concerns regarding potential planning issues and environmental concerns as well, due to the ongoing activity.
I have also been in touch with the landlord, via their agent, who have confirmed they are aware of the situation and will no doubt be speaking to the tenant.”
Commenting, Councillor Marilyn Westley said, “I am working with planning officers at West Lancashire Borough Council to ascertain if there have been any planning breaches and I’m also helping residents navigate the maze of government agencies who might be able to help.
As a local councillor I work hard to make sure residents are listened to and I will continue to work with these residents and Mike Prendergast to try and get a solution for the problems faced by residents.”
A spokesperson for the Barton Residents Association said’ “We are very grateful for the help and support being provided by Mike and Marilyn. They are helping us put our concerns to planning departments, the landlord and DEFRA.
We are all quite used to agricultural activity but what is going on now is far different to what we see normally. We are all concerned about road safety, making sure that planning rules are followed and the potential environmental impact of what is going on.”
Mike Prendergast finished by saying, “Farming is a massive part of what makes West Lancashire the place that it is and is a huge part of our local economy.
On occasion, there can be tensions between residents, farmers and landowners. I and local councillors will be working hard to try and help reach a solution for residents and local farmers by working with the relevant stakeholders.”