New twist in planning sagas

Just before he was moved out of his Planning responsibilities in last week's Government reshuffle, Minister Nick Boles made a possibly vital intervention in the numerous planning appeals in Cheshire East.

He requested that Inspector Geoff Hill gives "especial attention to the evidence put forward by all parties on the five year housing land supply position across Cheshire East" in an appeal related to land in Crewe.

The problem has arisen because in the series of decisions by Inspectors appointed to decide planning appeals, some have judged Cheshire East's 5-Year Housing Supply as acceptable, some have not.

As those in Audlem who sat through the lengthy Gladman appeal in May against refusal by Cheshire East to build 120 dwellings at Little Heath will testify, the 5-Year housing supply figure is the focus of these appeals.

Indeed, on several days at that Inquiry, Audlem and the site at Little Heath barely attracted a mention. Everything seemed to revolve around whether there were sufficient viable plans to build an appropriate number of houses in the Borough over the next five years. The two lawyers and witnesses argued seemingly for a week over this single point.

As the Inspectors have not agreed in the past, a Len Goodman-like appointee, aka Geoff Hill, will have the casting vote – at least this is how it was described on Radio Stoke last week as commentators tried hard to inject some 'Strictly-style' entertainment into the somewhat incomprehensible subject of planning.

But, whatever Geoff Hill decides, we have to wonder what happens to all the recent judgements in Cheshire East. If he says there is a sufficient 5-Year Supply, are all the Appeals in the past year that were won on the basis there wasn't a sufficient supply to be over-turned. And vice versa if he decides there isn't.

Whatever happens, it seems like a fantastic field in which the lawyers can weave their magic while the residents of Cheshire East look on in disbelief at a planning system that is beyond parody.

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