By David Simister

Councillors feared an extra parking at Edge Hill would create traffic problems in Ormskirk

A car park project dubbed the “Terminal Five” of Edge Hill University has been refused permission to take off by the borough council's planning committee.

The university wanted to create a temporary car park on its main campus, on St Helens Road, to cope with the increasing number of students coming to lectures by car, but members concerned about its intrusion into West Lancashire's area of Green Belt land chose to reject it at a meeting last Thursday (July 22).

“This car park project is very much our Terminal Five, because like Heathrow always asking for a new runway Edge Hill are always asking us for permission for a temporary car park.

”We are always being asked to grant these applications, but t is like an airport in the way it is developing, so we need to press for a much wider solution said Councillor Iain Ashcroft, one of the committee's members.

Several members of the public spoke out at the meeting with their objections to the proposals, which would have seen space for 230 cars created on land on the edge of the Ormskirk campus, and Derby borough councillor Adrian Owens told members that despite wishing to see a university on his ward succeed he could not support the car park scheme.

“I'm a friend of Edge Hill but I oppose this application," he said.

"Can the university not operate in a more sustainable way? Why not stagger the times of business and lectures so that this massive backlog of traffic entering at peak times is eased As a former student I know which time of lecture I'd prefer, and 4pm would win out over 9am every time!"

Edge Hill pro vice chancellor, Steve Igoe, said ”The university is deeply disappointed at the decision. It is particularly surprising as it was in contradiction of the for approval by the authoritys own planning officers.

“There is no doubt that as a result of the events above there will be a substantial increase in cars parking on or around the university and as a result of the refusal these vehicles are now likely to disperse further away from the campus but still in the wider Ormskirk area."