Jubilant Bunbury residents clapped and cheered as Cheshire East Council refused plans to “cram” up to 25 entry-level homes onto a field in the village, writes Belinda Ryan.
Nearly 50 villagers packed into the council chamber at Crewe for southern planning meeting to oppose plans by Roger Ryder to demolish a house on Bunbury Lane and build affordable homes on the site.
A previous proposal to build 15 market value homes on the land was refused by Cheshire East two years ago and the decision upheld at appeal.
The council’s planning officers, who had recommended refusal for the previous scheme, had urged councillors to approve the most recent application.
Planning officer Gareth Taylerson acknowledged it was against both local plan and neighbourhood plan policies, but said there was a conflict in planning law as entry-level homes – first homes – were supported in the national planning policy framework.
Ward councillor Becky Posnett (Con), speaking as a visiting member, said: “The proposals would be out of character for Bunbury.
“The development would lead to an unacceptable impact on the character of the open countryside and cause the landscaping harm.”
Bunbury Parish Council vice-chair Andrew Thomson told the committee: “Since the neighbourhood plan was made, permission has been granted for approximately 100 new houses in the village, including approximately 35 affordable homes.”
He added: “It states in the planning balance section of the officer’s report, there is a clear conflict with polices in the local plan and the Bunbury Neighbourhood Plan therefore, in my view, the application should be refused.”
Resident Isabelle Noonan said: “It’s hard to understand why the council should completely disregard so many of the policies contained within its own plan.”
The planning officer admitted there was no evidence of need for first homes in Bunbury.
He said he thought the site was too small for what was proposed and had been in talks with the developer about reducing the scheme to 20 and this could be conditioned.
When Crewe councillor Anthony Critchley (Crewe, Lab) asked to see plans for a 20 house scheme, Mr Taylerson said the developer had declined to provide any.
Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) said more houses had been built in the village over recent years and services, like buses, had reduced.
“The idea of putting 20-odd first time buyer households into what is now a less sustainable area than when we first did our local plan is concerning to me,” said Cllr Clowes.
“As far as I’m concerned, this is a car dependent village. The balance slides towards refusal.”
She later proposed the scheme be refused saying: “There is too much wrong with this application for us to be able to approve it and, in policy terms, I believe the weight of balance is in favour of refusal.”
Willaston councillor Allen Gage (Con) said: “I would be very hesitant to potentially inflict 25 houses on a village with no data at all to tell me that it’s either needed or required.”
The refusal was seconded by Cllr Critchley and the scheme was refused on the grounds the benefits of first homes do not outweigh the harm in terms of the sustainability/car dependent nature of the site; it is a cramped over-development of the site with a lack of open space; the site outside the settlement boundary and there would be a high concentration of affordable homes located on one site.
Seven councillors voted for refusal and two abstained.
(pic by Google Maps)
My first reaction too Marco. Where there’s money to be made, developers will keep going until they win an appeal to central government and it’s once again proven that Cheshire East has absolutely no real planning power.
Don’t get too giddy, in time it will happen like many other contentious site in Cheshire recently