A new industrial development is set to get the go ahead in Widnes, but only if concerns over local birds and bats can be ironed out.

Halton planning chiefs are set to consider an application by London-based Avjon 3 Ltd  for a 5,615 sq m  site to the west of the Shell Green industrial estate on Bennetts Lane. The proposals include a building designated for logistics/industrial use, office space, 58 parking spaces, 23 HGV trailer spaces and a service yard.

A planning statement submitted in support said it would bring job opportunities to the borough.

It said: "Not only will the proposals expand an existing hub of industrial and commercial activity, but it will also create long term and secure job opportunities that will facilitate local economic growth and the creation of sustainable communities."

A report to the committee said the applicant had been  working with Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service (MEAS)  to overcome concerns regarding habitats for local bats and birds. It added that work was underway to find a suitable site to compensate for the loss of habitat.

It said: "The applicants are in the process of sourcing a site for the compensation, but as with other schemes recently approved we are willing to accept a commitment from the applicant which can be secured by a prior to commencement of development condition to have a submitted and approved scheme and timetable, together with the suggested MEAS condition seeking a full and detailed landscape and ecological management plan which covers the management of the site for a minimum of 30 years."

Rather than grant or approve permission on the day of the meeting, the report recommends members grant authority to the council's operational director for planning to determine the application, in consultation with the chair or vice chair of the council's planning committee, following the 'satisfactory resolution of the outstanding issues' relating to MEAS.