Tuesday at the Gladman Inquiry

As Day Four of the Gladman Inquiry started in the Carlsberg Suite at Crewe Alex's ground, we glanced at the assembled team of Gladman lawyers, assistants and expert witnesses. At the last session on Friday there were eight. Yesterday, they were so numerous we simply ran out of fingers to count.

If by chance the developers are awarded costs against the council, we fear that Cheshire East may be forced to stop collecting our rubbish, educating our children or caring for the vulnerable in order to pay for this array of planning talent.

Hearing Session

Yesterday's morning session was scheduled as a so-called 'Hearing Session' – less formal than the Inquiry sessions, with all sitting around a table – indeed, a very large table. For many attendees, however, it was more of a Non-hearing Session as witness after witness was asked to speak up. One expert must have been asked twenty times during the day. A Voice Projection class would not go amiss.

The Hearing Session ended up lasting all day, until the weary participants were released at 6.10pm. Much before that conclusion, your correspondent was gazing longingly at the adjacent bar and would even have broken a life-long pledge and downed a Carlsberg!

Yesterday's business dealt with nine key issues:

• Landscape and the effect on the character and appearance
• Hedgerow
• Agricultural land quality
• Sustainability of Audlem as a location
• Affordable Housing
• Impact of the proposal on the local highway infrastructure
• Unilateral Undertakings on an Education contribution
• Similarly a Health contribution
• And a Transport contribution

A 10th issue was discussed at the very end of the day – a recreational contribution by the developer.

Without detailing the discussions under each heading, our favourite question of the day was whether the building of 120 properties at Little Heath would alter the character of the two fields involved.

Even this could not elicit a 'Yes' or 'No' answer from Gladman's experts, a feature of the day that was clearly irritating Cheshire East's QC, Anthony Crean. As we prepared to depart, he asked the Inspector to remind witnesses of the need to use those two words tomorrow.

Sustainability

We enjoyed interesting debates on the definition of 'Sustainability' and the difference between narrow site specific sustainability and broader considerations of sustainability. Mr Crean cleared up the debate with his observation that: "As in life in general, it's all a question of size."

The conversation switched tracks soon after as it was pointed out by the Parish Council that, unlike many other of Cheshire East's Local Service Centres, Audlem does not have a railway station, an important facility for those travelling from the site to work. This conjured up the thought that the village's saviour in this planning application may yet turn out to be Dr Beeching.

On the subject of travel, all ears picked up at the words 'Modal Split'. Our curiosity was satisfied when it became clear that commuting journeys might employ more than one mode of transport. There was some bemusement amongst locals, however, when Wrenbury was suggested as a convenient commuting station for Audlem residents.

Our reports

In the lunch break, your reporter was delighted to be told by a Gladman witness that their team was thoroughly enjoying our reports on the Inquiry and that AudlemOnline was a brilliant website, the best they had ever found. Such praise, we responded, might have affected our partiality but for Cheshire East having told us exactly the same during an earlier coffee break.

Education and Health

During a lively discussion with Cheshire East's school admissions expert, it was revealed that it is likely, if approved, the site will be developed over four years at thirty units a year.

On education and health, the focus was on whether Gladman should pay out the sums requested by Cheshire East to mitigate the impact of so many new pupils and patients resulting from the development.

Cheshire East are asking for £261,483 if 120 dwellings are built (£245,140 if only 115) for education, to be spent Brine Leas, and £116,288 (or £111,443 if 115 units) for health provision.

The day ended with Gladman arguing with great force why neither sum should be paid, a discussion we suspect that will rumble on tomorrow.

As a final note, we should add that Geoff Seddon of Audlem Parish Council was allowed to ask questions of the Gladman experts throughout the day, a task he took to with all the skill of an experienced lawyer.

Tomorrow, the Inquiry resumes at 9.30am.

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