THE proposed new Business Park on farmland beside Bailrigg Lane will have a hugely adverse impact on residents in Scotforth and Galgate and on people trying to travel through these areas (including bus passengers to the university).

The huge number of car park spaces (850) included in the plans shows that developers expect most people to get there by car.

The Transport Assessment shows there will be up to 31 per cent more traffic on Scotforth Road at peak times with the business park than without it.

We can, therefore, expect queues of up to 70 vehicles northbound at the Hala Road crossroads during the afternoon rush hour and there will be similar problems in Galgate, where traffic already queues up some mornings to get off the motorway.

Because of low unemployment, high house prices and skills short-ages in the area it is likely that many of the new or relocated jobs will be taken by people commuting from further afield, so why are there no plans for a new station at Bailrigg or a bus link to Lancaster rail station?

I am not convinced this business park needs to be located on an out-of-town greenfield site there is plenty of previously developed land in Lancaster and Morecambe which is also closer to areas of higher unemployment.

The excuse that has been given for ignoring national planning policies against greenfield development is that it needs to be close to the university. If that is the case, why is it not actually on the campus?

Collaboration between university staff/students and hi-tech businesses would still be easy if they were a couple of miles apart - surely most communication between the two sites will be electronic anyway!

Cllr Emily Heath, Scotforth West Ward.