Cheshire East’s refusal of 200 residences overturned

Bloor Homes’ outline application for a residential development off Prestbury Road in Macclesfield was given the go-ahead by the Planning Inspectorate on Monday.

This is the third major housing application decision by Cheshire East Council to be reversed at appeal since April – the other two being Bloor’s application for 325 homes in Sandbach and Wain Estates bid for 160 homes, a 70-bed care home, and 30-acre countryside park also in Sandbach.

All three applications were refused last year against officer recommendation. In all three appeals, the fact that Cheshire East has a 3.8-year housing land supply rather than the required five-year one was given considerable weight.

Bloor’s Macclesfield application will see the delivery of up to 200 homes, of which 90 are due to be designated affordable. The properties would have between one and four bedrooms. The project would also see the creation of 20.5 acres of public open space – more than half of the 40-acre site.

The application was debated for two hours in September by Cheshire East councillors before they moved to refuse it on the grounds it was inappropriate development on Green Belt and would negatively impact the Bollin Valley local landscape. All but two councillors on the committee voted for the rejection.

During the appeal process, residents also raised the issue of highway safety as a ground for refusal.

After a site visit and the appeal hearing, the inspector said that the impact on the local landscape would only be minor and that there would not harm highway safety.

The question over whether or not the site represented Green Belt or Grey Belt was a key element to the refusal by Cheshire East councillors. While the council’s own planning team had sided with developers that the 40-acre plot fit the definition of Grey Belt, the councillors had disagreed and said it was still firmly Green Belt.

The inspector ruled that it was, in fact, Grey Belt and did not contributed to checking unrestricted urban sprawl, preventing the merger of neighbouring towns, or preserving the special character of a historic town.

In weighing the application, the inspector gave significant weight to the council’s lack of housing land supply as well as Bloor’s plans for affordable housing.

Cheshire East Council declined to comment when approached about the appeal result.

Toby Hudson, strategic land director at Bloor Homes, welcomed the inspector’s ruling.

“It is now almost a year since the application was rejected by committee despite receiving a recommendation for approval from the council’s own planning officers,” Hudson said.

“Throughout that time we have remained confident that the scheme represented a sustainable and well-considered response to Macclesfield’s growing housing needs.”

He added later: “This is an important outcome not only for those seeking access to high-quality new homes in Macclesfield, but for the wider town. The development will create new opportunities for families, first-time buyers and key workers while delivering lasting environmental and community benefits.”

Turley supported Bloor throughout the planning and appeal process. The project team also includes Aval Consulting Group, i-Transport, UES, NDC, Coopers, and TRC.

To review the original planning application, search reference 25/0210/OUT on Cheshire East Council’s planning portal. To read the appeal ruling, search reference APP/R0660/W/25/3374597 on the Planning Inspectorate’s portal.