Doors closed on Gladman battle

Those fighting the Gladman housing proposals will not have been cheered by Cheshire East holding two meetings behind closed doors this month.

Councillors may be tight-lipped over the reasons for the meetings, but it is clear they are concerned at the cost implications of contesting outstanding housing appeals.

Cheshire East was confident its emerging local plan would satisfy government demands to supply enough land to build 7,500 homes in the next five years.

But recent appeal rulings not only question the council's claim that it can deliver on 7,500, but also insists at least 9,000 homes must be built to make up the backlog on homes not built in the past four years, a figure Cheshire East has little hope of achieving.

Serious questions now arise over Cheshire East's ability to win any outstanding planning appeals.

Some councillors will no doubt wish to fight on, if only to avoid the anger of an exasperated electorate.

Others will see little point in a hard-pressed council throwing taxpayers' money away on fighting battles they have little chance of winning.

In any event, families in Audlem have a right to know what exactly is going on in these meetings and what matters are now being discussed with press and public excluded.

It is difficult to see what grounds councillors have for holding strategic planning meetings behind closed doors other than to shield their own embarrassment from the public eye.

Meanwhile, the Gladman website boasts of a current strategic land portfolio that amounts to around 10,000 new homes across the country.

Audlem appears to be caught between a rapacious developer, an impotent local authority and an intransigent government that, rightly or wrongly, seems determined to let developers decide where they want to build their houses.

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