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St Helen's Star , 16 March 2007
PARKSIDE 2010 has been launched to shout about the positive impact of the rail freight interchange project which could bring an estimated 10,000 jobs to St Helens.
The alliance of groups and individuals backing plans for the new Strategic Rail Freight Interchange was unveiled both in Parliament and locally, with the aim of giving people a chance to find out more about the project.
Parkside 2010 members include national, regional and local groups from the rail freight industry, trade unions, the local community, Parliamentarians and business groups.
The proposals are for a new rail freight interchange on the site of the former Parkside Colliery which shut in 1993. The development will help deliver a key environmental objective in shifting freight from road to rail, helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Without the delivery of infrastructure such as new terminals, this objective will not be realised.
The interchange will also give a crucial boost to the North West economy, attracting investment to the local area and creating an estimated 10,000 jobs. The proposals include improved public transport links, a new motorway junction and more than 225 acres of improved open space including a new Countryside Park.
Lord Evans, chair of Parkside 2010 and former MP for St Helens had this to say: "The benefits of Parkside from a local and national perspective are clear, and have a great deal of support across the board. The Alliance is crucial in giving these supporters a voice.
"It also provides a means for people to find out more and show their support without fear of getting caught up in the highly polarised local debate that inevitably comes with significant projects like Parkside.
"The attendance and enthusiastic discussion at both events shows that there is not only cross party support in Westminster, but support among the local community too. Most local people welcome investment in the area, new jobs and training and open space which families, anglers, horse riders, and schools will be able to use."
Referring to the proposals and local opposition to the plans, Dave Watts MP said: "If we are serious about transferring tens of thousands of HGV vehicles off our roads and on to rail each year, we will need to build the infrastructure required to achieve that aim. I believe that the Parkside site is uniquely placed to provide the best rail freight centre in the North West.
"I also welcome the thousands of new jobs, the improved public transport network, and the country park that will be created if the scheme goes ahead.
"While I am aware that some residents oppose this proposed development, it is clear from the local launch that many other local residents are now supporting the project."
But Brendan Page, who is spearheading local opposition to the proposals told the Star in a letter: "I fully respect Lord Evans of Parkside's political career. However, I feel that he has failed to understand the impact that the Parkside freight terminal would have on his former constituency. If he studied the plans and spoke with any of the 98 per cent of local residents from across Wigan, Warrington and St Helens who have opposed Parkside by objecting to their local authority, then he would understand that Parkside would destroy his Newton and the surrounding area.
"Lord Evans needs to consider what legacy he really wants to leave on Parkside. Does he want Europe's biggest road freight terminal, 24 hour congestion with an HGV every eight seconds 24 hours a day; danger for the local community with Parkside traffic travelling through residential areas; air, noise and light pollution; massive job relocation, not creation; the destruction of 272 hectares of Green Belt Parkside land."
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