Cheshire East has been given the go-ahead to expand the car park at its environmental services hub in Middlewich despite claims its planning application was 'misleading'.

The strategic planning board (SPB) approved the council's application for an 84-space car park on vacant hardstanding between Cledford Lane and Faulkner Drive.

The council says it will provide parking for new staff when the weekly food waste collection service is introduced in the autumn.

All councils are required by law to introduce the weekly service.

Middlewich town councillor Michelle Parsons told Wednesday's SPB meeting: "I support food waste recycling. What I oppose is this site, this proposal, and the inadequate evidence on which you're being asked to approve it.

"The application presents itself as modest – a car park, a bin store, a security lodge. Members should not be misled.

"This proposal enables approximately 300 additional daily vehicle movements, supports 50 to 60 new permanent operational posts, and facilitates an entirely new fleet operation for food waste collection."

Ansa Environmental Hub, Middlewich 1 (Google) The environmental hub at Middlewich (Google)

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Cllr Garnet Marshall (Middlewich, Ind) who was acting chair at the meeting voted against the proposal.

He told the agent representing the council: "You were a bit misleading when you said that you'd looked for other sites."

Ralph Kemp, head of environmental services, told him: "From an operational perspective, there is a real high need to co-locate this with the existing facility in order for this to work efficiently."

Cllr Marshall replied: "I can see all the operational reasons for it being there, but I'm not happy about the fact that other areas weren't explored because, frankly, when the first application went in in 2016, to say it was toxic, what happened, would be an understatement.

"There were lots of misconceptions, and lots of people felt they were misled.

"I've just got a feeling those sorts of things will crop up again, because I really don't understand why you haven't had a really good look at a site elsewhere."

Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury, Con) said she was satisfied with the responses she had received from officers regarding air quality and was pleased the vehicle fleet was going to be electric.

"This is a hub, it is the centre from which the activity starts, so the food waste itself will not be brought onto the site, so you won't have the smells and the unpleasantness associated with that," she said.

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"That goes to Leighton, to our green waste hub, where it can be properly processed."

She said her only concern was to ensure the site does not have any historic contamination issues, but added a condition was imposed relating to that.

Cllr Clowes moved the application be approved, this was seconded by Cllr Hannah Moss and eight councillors voted in favour and one voted against.

Cllr Parsons also spoke against a later application to vary a condition in relation to vehicle movements to the hub on Cledford Lane.

At present the maximum number of vehicle movements permitted is 1,066 a day.

The council applied to increase this to 1,330.

Cllr Parsons said: "The road network serving this site is already under serious pressure.

"The mitigation argument rests heavily on the Middlewich Eastern Bypass redistributing traffic and offsetting the increase in movements from this site."

But she said food waste collections were expected to begin at least 18 months before the bypass was due to open.

The SPB voted unanimously to allow the increase in vehicle movements.

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