Will Kenyon Junction be redeveloped?

Could our historic Kenyon Junction be redeveloped? Did you know that it was the world’s first proper railway junction?

Kenyon Junction, on Broseley Lane just beyond the bridge, was originally a station on the world’s first proper inter-city railway line. Soon after that line opened, another railway was constructed as a link from Leigh to join the main Liverpool-Manchester line at Kenyon. This was the world's first railway junction between two independent railway companies.

Kenyon Junction developed into a substantial station with four platforms and buildings on each one, complete with a connecting covered footbridge. Over the years substantial goods facilities and sidings developed around the station and it remained a busy place through into the 20th century.

Usage then declined, in common with other railways, and in the 1960s services ceased. The station became derelict and was completely dismantled in the 1970s. The area returned to countryside, although it was still possible to see where the station stood as seen in this photo from 2006:

In recent years it has been re-industrialised as a storage depot for a large private company, Opus. Under national rules, councils must prioritise the reuse of previously developed land, often called Brownfield land, before releasing pristine Green Belt land for economic development. So the landowner or a developer can submit arguments to Warrington Council that Kenyon Junction site should be designated as a major Brownfield asset. Instead of allowing the site to remain in a planning "grey area" as a semi-rural storage yard, the proposals could seek to secure long-term allocations that would permit modern industrial units. There have been other proposals such as a major multi-modal Park-and-Ride transport hub designed to take cars off the congested M62 and A580 East Lancashire road corridors.

Recently, development proposals have taken on new urgency. Following national policy updates that increased regional housing and infrastructure targets, Warrington Borough Council formally initiated a new Local Plan Scoping Consultation and "Call for Sites". This allows landowners to officially re-submit or adjust their development boundaries for evaluation. The Plan Content & Evidence Consultations opens 17 Nov 2026 and ends 4 Jan 2027. This will lead to a draft allocation plan for which there will then be public consultation 19 October – 14 December 2027.

Watch this space.