NORTHWICH MP Mike Hall has thrown his weight behind a campaign group's attempts to halt plans for a massive electricity plant on green belt land.

He says proposals to build a substation the size of three rugby pitches between Weaverham and Acton Bridge 'contravenes' the Vale Royal Local Plan, the blueprint for development in the area.

He is backing members of the Substation Action Group in their fight against the proposals.

National Grid and Network Rail want to build a 205m long and 92m wide substation on green belt land off the A49 and the B5153.

The plant would power Virgin Trains' high-speed West Coast Main Line Pendolino services, which require more electricity than slower trains.

But a packed meeting on Friday night heard residents will fight the proposal every step of the way.

Campaigners say there was 'quite exceptional' support at the Substation Action Group's first open meeting in Acton Bridge's Parish Room.

People from Acton Bridge, Weaverham and the surrounding villages turned out to hear about Network Rail and National Grid's proposal, and Mr Hall, who also attended the developers' consultation meeting in Weaverham in September, told the audience it was 'totally and utterly misleading' for the developers to describe their proposal as a substation.

He told the Chronicle: 'It quite clearly contravenes the Vale Royal Local Plan and is something that residents are right to be concerned about.

'It is a massive development on green belt land and it will be a huge visual intrusion, and there are also concerns about the impact it will have on public health.'

Friday's meeting was hosted by members of Acton Bridge Parish Council, Weaverham Parish Council, the Weaverham Trust and Vale Royal borough councillors.

On show were display boards and publicity material, Press articles, photographs and maps and diagrams, while members of Acton Bridge Women's Institute served refreshments.

Action Group spokesman Steve Pardoe said: 'We counted 115 visitors who returned our feedback forms, about 90% of them from Acton Bridge, and this remarkable turn-out would represent some 20% of the Acton Bridge electoral roll.

'That shows, as clearly as anything can, the strength of feeling within the local communities about this proposed substation - disbelief at the green belt location and industrial scale of the development, followed by outrage.

'This is a magnificent response, and underlines the plain fact that the substation is not wanted here. If National Grid and Network Rail persist with their planning application for the Station Road site, the villagers of Acton Bridge and Weaverham and their campaign partners are prepared to give them a very hard time!'

Mr Hall was full of praise for the way members of the action group have gone about their campaign.

He said: 'The Substation Action Group has acted very, very responsibly. They have tried to find the answers to their questions, such as does it have to be this large, and are there other alternative sites in the area?' A second information evening takes place at Weaverham Community Centre on Friday from 6-9pm. Mr Hall will be present from about 7pm.