Councillors have refused a scheme for five holiday lodges at Faddiley near Nantwich despite planning officers recommending it for approval, writes Belinda Ryan.
Mark Wetton sought permission for four new holiday lodges and to convert an existing building to a lodge at Sevenoaks, Hearns Lane.
But the southern planning committee was told neighbours had objected to the application saying it would have a considerable adverse impact on nearby properties.
Neighbouring councillor Sarah Pochin, who recused herself from the committee so she could speak as an objector, said the owners had built a lake on the site which leaked on to the road.
She added the single track road “is absolutely trashed” by vehicles visiting a puppy breeding business on the same site.
“You can hear the barking all the time, so I can’t imagine anybody would want to go and stay in the lodge with the puppy breeding next door,” Cllr Pochin (Bunbury, Ind) told Wednesday’s meeting.
“There’s no tourist attractions close by, this is in the middle of nowhere.”
The applicant’s agent, Richard Lee, told councillors the lake had overflowed in the past but that had now been addressed.
“The attraction is the countryside itself and there’s a lake there with fish in it, so there is the added attraction on the site,” he said.
Mr Lee said the council’s tourism officer supported the application.
Regarding the puppy business, he said: “The level of use of the adjacent kennel business has substantially reduced circa 10% of what it was pre-Covid… so the vehicular traffic doesn’t happen in the same way.”
Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) expressed numerous concerns about the application.
“I think we need to be confident we are interpreting planning policy correctly and I’m not sure that we are,” she said, adding she was not convinced there was a need for the facility.
She referred to the “informal countryside leisure activities of walking and cycling” mentioned in the report.
“You take your life in your hands if you’re going to cycle along those roads,” said Cllr Clowes.
“Similarly, you’ve got one public right of way nearby that you could access from the site. In terms of sustainable transport, this is not it.”
She added: “Where we have a change of use [as in this application] it is to recognise there is an economic benefit to the local area… it’s only an economic benefit to the person who runs the site.
“I’m not sure it does satisfy those planning policies sufficiently.”
Cllr Clowes suggested the application be deferred for a site visit.
Cheshire East planning officer Daniel Evans said the points raised were valid and there are concerns in terms of sustainability, access and whether it is an appropriate development in an isolated location.
He said that would be a reason for refusal which could be sustained at appeal and approval had been recommended by officers “on balance”.
Cllr Joy Bratherton (Crewe East, Lab) supported the idea of a site visit and referred to previous retrospective applications on the site as well as another application that had yet to be determined.
Cllr Laura Smith (Crewe South, Lab) said she was in favour of a site visit.
But Cllr Clowes then told the committee she had not been aware of the other application.
“Consequently I think we’ve got one of those situations where an applicant has got two irons in the fire at the same time that are not mutually compatible,” she said.
The Wybunbury councillor moved the application be refused.
The scheme was refused on the grounds the proposed development is located in the open countryside and it has not been demonstrated there is an essential need for the accommodation or that it is required for a particular countryside attraction.
It would also be isolated from existing services and facilities.
Eight councillors voted to refuse and two abstained.
(Google Maps image of Hearns Lane)
Utter farce no site visit badly run dog company and a load of NIMBYS