Cheshire East has approved a scheme which includes a Costa and McDonald's on land off the M6 in Sandbach in the hope it will bring further employment development to the site.

The Capricorn development, on land bounded by Old Mill Road and the M6 northbound slip road at J17, has been in the pipeline for more than a decade.

Yesterday (Wednesday) councillors approved a full planning application from W&S Sandbach for the construction of a drive-through coffee shop, drive-through restaurant, commercial park entrance and associated parking and landscaping, as well as outline permission for a pub and restaurant, 63-bedroom hotel and offices with associated parking and landscaping.

Cllr Sam Corcoran asked councillors to defer the application for further discussion. (Photo: Cheshire East)

Ward councillor Sam Corcoran (Lab), speaking as a visiting member, told the strategic planning board: "For more than a decade, I've been campaigning for a world class science and business park on the site by junction 17. This isn't it. So how do we get something better?"

He asked councillors to defer the application for further discussion.

Concern was raised at the meeting that if a McDonalds and Costa were located on the site, that would have implications for the McDonald's and Costa in the town centre, which in turn would affect town centre footfall.

Officers were asked to speak with those companies about ensuring the future of those town centre venues.

Cllr Steve Edgar (Haslington, Con) moved the application be approved saying he would like to see something happen on that site after years of nothing,

Cllr Fiona Wilson (Macclesfield, Lab) seconded the approval.

Cllr Stewart Gardiner (Knutsford, Con) said he had sympathy with what Cllr Corcoran had said.

But he continued: "If you have already got a flagship organisation on board, [McDonalds and Costa] they themselves might encourage, certainly a hotel or a pub chain to also come onto the site which, in time, might make the site more attractive to other employers.

"Now we might not end up with the world class science park that was envisaged by Cllr Corcoran… but it might mean what we are doing is creating a centre for jobs."

The application was approved, subject to S106 agreement and conditions, with nine councillors voting in favour and one abstaining.

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