Councillors have gone against planning officers' recommendations and refused an application to allow a developer to add 25 homes to a 190-housing scheme in Holmes Chapel.

The council's strategic planning board (SPB) had already turned down an application in August 2021 from Bloor Homes to build 25 dwellings on the same site off London Road, on the grounds it was contrary to open countryside policies and contrary to the Brereton Neighbourhood Plan.

This latest scheme, from the same developer, was recommended for approval by the planning officers because the added benefits, which included financial contributions towards highways improvements 'just about' outweighed the disadvantages of the scheme.

But councillors didn't agree – saying it would give the wrong signal to developers elsewhere if they approved this application.

The application site is directly to the south of a much larger mixed-use development which has recently been built out for 190 homes.

That permission was granted at appeal before the council had a five-year housing land supply and before the local plan had been adopted. Both are now in place.

Ward councillor Les Gilbert, speaking as a visiting member at the Macclesfield meeting, asked the SPB last week: "What's the purpose of the local plan, if not to deliver plan-led development?

"If this is approved, where do we go next? Will the next field fall? And the one after that? Will we urbanise Brereton as a whole? If it's allowed, you're effectively giving carte blanche to developers to drive the coach and horses through our plan policies."

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Kate McLean, from Bloor Homes, said the developer had worked with the council's officers for six months to come up with an improved scheme which would benefit the local community.

"We accept, and your officers accept, that this site is in the open countryside, but it's our case that the proposals offer a very significant benefit to the local community," she said.

Ms McLean said as well as the financial contributions, the benefits and improvements included nine affordable homes, six bungalows and a mix of properties, including one, two, three and four-bed.

Cllr Craig Browne (Alderley Edge, Ind) said the council now had the relevant planning policies in place which it had lacked previously when the 190-home site had been allowed at appeal, adding Bloor Homes had not appealed last year's refusal for 25 homes 'and I think that decision not to appeal in itself is quite indicative – I wouldn't put it in any stronger terms'.

Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) agreed with Cllr Browne.

"Anything that actually undermines or sets unacceptable precedents for our local plan and for neighbourhood planning, and our SADPD (site allocations and development policies document) which, I think we must give significant weight to, is not acceptable, because it actually gives the wrong signals to developers elsewhere, who I'm sure could find similar little bits of land, outside settlement boundaries, alongside other relatively new developments," said Cllr Clowes.

She moved the application be refused.

This was seconded by Cllr Steve Edgar (Haslington, Con) and councillors voted unanimously to refuse the scheme.

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