LEYLAND'S controversial rail freight terminal is set to gp ahead after councillors voted in favour of the plan.

A majority of one saw the development passed while calls for 'Labour out, Labour out' by members of Wheelton Lane Action Group echoed around the packed council chamber.

So far, no offer of compensation has been made to residents. Farington councillor Fred Heyworth claims homes in the vicinity had lost between £5,000 and £6,000 in value.

Centurion Way will have to be closed to make way for the terminal and around 360 HGVs are expected to travel down Wheelton Lane when it's in full operation in ten years time.

But South Ribble's director of planning Paul Jones made it clear councillors had their hands tied over the issue.

He said that there were no real planning grounds for refusal and warned that if they didn't approve it, the rail freight terminal would probably be given the go-ahead on appeal. If that happened they would have no control in how or what was built.

But the move doesn't give Lancashire Enterprises complete free reign over the area because approval was based on 28 conditions which mean:

noise and lighting levels are to be limited to an acceptable degree;

sites of environmental and archaeological interest are to be left undisturbed;

the area is to be landscaped with 6ft high mounds;

pollution created by contaminated waste unearthed during construction is to be closely monitored.

Chairman of the planning committee councillor Tom Hanson said: "By approving the application with 28 individual conditions, we will be able to ensure that the development does not detrimentally affect local residents." And he added that 4,000 jobs were expected to be created by the scheme.

Andrew Calvert of Lancashire Enterprises said: "There won't be an immediate start on the development and we will do everything possible to minimise an inconvenience to residents."

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