Another planning setback

Cheshire East Council, and those fighting large-scale speculative housing development in the borough, appear to have suffered another setback after a Planning Inspector's ruling.

The Inspector's findings are in a report upholding an appeal by a housing developer to build 94 houses on land near Sandbach.

Now councillors fear the decision to allow the appeal and grant permission will set a precedent for other developers pursuing appeals on applications in Audlem, Stapeley, Nantwich, Willaston, Wistaston, Shavington and other areas.

Cheshire East Council is required to demonstrate a 5-year housing supply plan, with an extra 20% on top of that because of 'under supply' in previous years.

But in the latest appeal decision delivered on Friday (April 11th), the Government Inspector said: "The area that now comprises the administrative area of Cheshire East has not met its housing targets since 2008/9.

"That is almost six years, during which time there has been persistent under delivery that now amounts to over 3,000 dwellings. About 40% of houses assumed to be delivered within five years do not have planning permission.

"Although some development may be achieved... if the council takes a liberal view in granting planning permission in advance of the adoption of the Core Strategy, their early development is by no means a certainty.

"Given the level of objections to some of them, legal challenges cannot be ruled out and significant infrastructure requirements will undoubtedly cause delays at some sites.

"There was a distinct lack of credible hard evidence to justify the projections for some of these sites and consequently it would be unwise to place too much reliance on the potential for delivering a significant amount of the housing requirement from such sources.

"I am not persuaded that the evidence confirms that such optimism is justified. I conclude that the council has not demonstrated a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites."

Cllr Michael Jones, Cheshire East Council Leader, said: "We are always disappointed to lose any planning permission which is not plan-led or sustainable.

"The fight will continue on this site hopefully, but also sites throughout Cheshire East. It is something we will ask our lawyers to study and a more full response shall be delivered after Easter."

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.