Council response re returned £2000

Following AudlemOnline's article on Sunday detailing how Cheshire East council returned £2,000 to the developers proposing to build 36 dwellings at Mill Lane, we have received the following statement from the council:

A Cheshire East Council spokesman said: "Cheshire East Council provides a pre-application advice service and encourages potential applicants to discuss their scheme with planning officers prior to submission. The service is particularly important for large scale developments which will have a major impact on the surrounding area, helping to ensure a better understanding of planning issues and speeding up the development process.

"Our Planning Team did write to Hockenhall Properties Ltd on 26th February this year, apologising for not responding to their request within 10 working days due to limited officer resources and heavy workloads. As a consequence it was our decision to refund the £2,000 fee to the applicant and no formal comments have been made on the proposed scheme."

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