Cheshire East: No point arguing over housing supply
The embattled local authority has withdrawn the housing land supply arguments from its evidence in appeal hearings into two applications in Brereton and Sandbach.
A council spokesman said: "At a meeting of the Strategic Planning Board on 15 November, the council decided not to present any further evidence on housing land supply on two ongoing planning appeals, at Rose Cottages in Brereton and Waterworks House in Sandbach.
"Both these appeals have already heard evidence on other grounds, such as sustainability and ecology, and were due to be reconvened to hear further evidence on housing land supply.
"In the light of recent appeal decisions which indicated the council could not demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, it was concluded that there was little merit in pursuing this aspect of the case any further.
"Both appeals will continue to be opposed but on matters unrelated to housing supply."
Bloor Homes proposes 25 homes at Rose Cottages. The council refused planning in December 2012; the appeal began in October.
The Waterworks Trust plans to build 12 houses on the site of Waterworks House in Sandbach.
Wow the penny drops at last hey Jones; shame its taken you so long to come to terms with what the industry has been telling you for years. How much did all that cost us then hey? I bet it isn’t pennies I bet it’s hundreds of thousands of pounds that could have been put to better use? What a waste of time and money.
By Penny Pincher
All these appeals and the money spent on them by both sides could have been saved if strategic planning had been resourced properly from the start. Four and a half years later there is still no plan and CEC continues to waste money on appeals which they will likely lose in light of the policy vacuum. Planners not at fault, but short sighted politicians who can’t prioritise, nor take difficult long term decisions.
By frustrated resident