800 objections to plans for huge industrial estate on farmland near Saltend

More than 800 people have written objecting to plans by port operator Associated British Ports to develop 399,950 sqm of floorspace for industrial, business and retail on fields between Paull and the Saltend chemical works.

The 453 acres allocated for employment uses in 2016 would be developed over 15 years and could eventually create more than 6,000 jobs, it is claimed.

But Paull parish council says recent planning permission given to develop the former Hedon Aerodrome on the other side of the road for industry will together create one of the “biggest industrial parks in Europe”.

They say the thousands of new jobs, together with the 4,500 it is claimed will be created at the adjacent Yorkshire Energy Park, could create an extra 25,000 vehicle movements on local roads a day. It also flies in the face, they say, of concerns over climate change and fear air pollution will impact on the health of residents in Paull, Hedon and Preston South.

They said: "We fully understand the need to get the economy going again, but people, nature and communities should not pay the price for poor planning decisions snuck through during the coronavirus crisis.

"We need to build back better, not gamble away the future for a quick cash injection."

Hedon Town Council and Preston Parish Council also object saying councillors need to look at the cumulative impacts of both ABP’s project and the recent approval for Yorkshire Energy Park.

They warn that the effects will be “truly enormous and will be felt not only by local communities, but across the entire sub region.”

For wildlife there are also major concerns as the site is right next to the internationally protected Humber Estuary, one of the 10 most important estuaries in Europe for birds, sparking objections from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the RSPB.

The RSPB says proposed mitigation at Newton Garth of just 36 hectares of land is not sufficient for protected species such as curlew, along with lapwing and golden plover that will be displaced.

However the council’s highways officers say improvements to the Hull Road roundabout can be made and the impact of more traffic on the bottleneck at Preston traffic lights will not be “severe”.

They say mitigation will be “in the form of travel plan measures to reduce travel to the site by car especially single occupancy car journeys and include improvements to sustainable transport initiatives”.

Officers are recommending the application is deferred to resolve a number of outstanding issues and then be approved.

They accept there will likely be “adverse” impacts on a small number of properties on Hedon Road, Paull, traffic will increase and it “will fundamentally change the character of the site”, but claim there are “substantial public benefits” because of the number of jobs created.

ABP's design and access statement says: "The proposals will provide significant job opportunities with the potential to attract major distribution and manufacturing operators leading to possibly 7,500 new full-time jobs for the area.

"Given the size and scale of the site, there is potential for a number of bespoke development opportunities which can be sub-divided to suit occupier requirements. The site would be ideally suited to manufacturers and distributors seeking port-related access in a location which is rich with a skilled available workforce."