Gladman wins Nantwich housing appeal

Gladman Developments has won its appeal to build 270 homes on a green field site on the edge of Nantwich.

Gladman went to appeal over the refusal of Cheshire East Council to give consent to build a 270-home housing estate off Queen's Drive.

Cheshire East had granted approval for 240 homes on the site but Gladman still pursued an appeal against the council's original refusal for 270 homes.

Cheshire East decided not to contest the appeal at a public local inquiry in March this year on advice from experts.

Gladman can go ahead with the original residential scheme of up to 270 homes, a store with tea room, highway works, public open space and associated works.

Plans also include upgrading a pedestrian link between Edmund Wright Way and Taylor Drive to take vehicular traffic.

The decision is a big blow to campaigners in the Queen's Drive and Marsh Lane areas of Nantwich who objected to the loss of green fields and the potential impact of increased traffic.

Commenting on the decision, a spokesman for the Secretary of State said: "In this case, it cannot be demonstrated that there is a five-year supply of deliverable housing land ... in these circumstances the council's housing land supply policies are out of date.

The inspector found that: "... the quantum of development proposed would have no greater impact than that already approved for this site; that the additional dwellings would not materially impact on highway capacity and safety; and that all other matters can be satisfactorily dealt with at the reserved matters stage."

The decision will also be a blow to campaigners fighting plans by Gladman to build 120 homes on a green field site on the edge of Audlem.

The out-of-date housing land supply policies of Cheshire East will probably be the central plank on any appeal by Gladman should Cheshire East refuse planning consent for the Audlem proposals.

Cheshire East Council leader, Mike Jones, told a recent Parish Council meeting he was "bitterly disappointed" at the decision not to fight the Nantwich appeal.

But he gave reassurances there would be no backing down over Audlem's fight. He pledged that Cheshire East would be fighting 15 similar planning applications across the borough.

"Cheshire East will stand by villages like Audlem," he told councillors. "We will work for you and we want to win against these speculative developers."

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