Dewscope appeals 225-home Knutsford rejection

Cheshire East Council will have to fork out to defend its decision to refuse permission for the redevelopment of 40 acres east of Longridge, a scheme that the authority’s officers had said should be approved.

Developer Dewscope had its proposal for 225 homes in Knutsford rejected just before Christmas against officer recommendations. The developer has now lodged an appeal against that decision.

Cheshire East councillors unanimously refused Dewscope’s housing development due to it being located partially within the Green Belt. The council’s planning team had advised that the provision for 67 much-needed affordable homes made the loss of protected land worth it.

Councillors also noted concerns over the loss of public open space and the impact the scheme would have on the local wildlife. There were also worries about the scheme’s design.

As well as homes, Dewscope’s project also features a community building and dedicated public open space with active travel links. Most of the site is situated on land allocated for housing in the area’s local plan.

At the time of writing, no date has been set for the inquiry.

E*scape Urbanists had drawn up the plans for Dewscope, with Emery Planning leading the application process. The project team included SCP Transport Planning, Betts Hydro, PGLA Landscape Architects, Smith Grant Environmental Consultancy, Cheshire Woodlands, and Architectural History Practice.

You can learn more about the application by searching reference number 21/3100M on Cheshire East Council’s planning portal.