Solution for Cheshire homes contamination saga nears

The 263-home redevelopment of the former Bombardier Transportation industrial site hit a roadblock when conditions relating to contaminated topsoil emerged. Cheshire East councillors have now been recommended to approve the remediation plan and reissue planning permission for the project.

Countryside Partnerships has completed the residential aspect of the scheme, which sits off West Street in Crewe, but the discovery of contaminated soil meant the planning permission granted in 2018 was voided amid concerns about “human health”.

Since then, the developer has been working towards a solution to the problem.

In November 2023, Cheshire East Council deferred a decision on whether to grant retrospective permission for the developer’s Coppenhall Place scheme after further site investigations raised concerns. 

Next week Cheshire East Council has recommended its strategic planning board approves Countryside’s proposed remediation strategy and grant planning permission, bringing the long running saga to a close.

The remediation plan will see contractors remove of a minimum of 600mm of underlying topsoil across a number of gardens, to then be replaced with physically and chemically suitable soil.

If rear gardens are already covered by hard landscaping, this will be removed and replaced once the new soil has been laid.

In addition, the public open space area will be subject to a landscaping enhancement scheme coupled with the installation of a new play area.

According to planning documents, now “a significant number of properties have been satisfactorily treated”, and Environmental Protection is “happy with the works being undertaken” and has agreed on an approach to dealing with the remaining properties.

To view the application, use the planning reference number 22/4863N on Cheshire East’s planning portal.