Councillors are recommended to approve 'permission in principle' for up to eight homes on a Wheelock site where two were refused, because Cheshire East now doesn't have a five-year housing land supply.

CB Homes wants to build the properties on land off Mill Lane.

Cheshire East refused permission for two houses on the same site for the same developer in 2023 because it would result in inappropriate development in the open countryside and the size of the residential plots would be out of keeping with surrounding properties.

Now planning officers are recommending the southern planning committee tomorrow approves 'permission in principle' (PIP).

PIP is an alternative way of obtaining permission for housing-led development.

The first stage (or permission in principle stage) establishes whether a site is suitable in-principle, and the second (technical details consent) stage is when the detailed development proposals are assessed.

Following a grant of PIP, the site must receive a grant of technical details consent before development can proceed.

Ward councillor Laura Crane (Lab) has called-in this latest application to the planning committee saying: "I don't think I can word it better than the reasons given in the refusal of planning application 22/4321C on the same plot.

"This was for only two properties, far below the number requested in this application."

Sandbach Town Council has objected 'especially with regard to the environmental impact, toxic waste on the land, risk of flooding and no highway impact'.

Seven nearby residents have objected, and their concerns include fears of overlooking, highways issues and overdevelopment of the site.

The report from Cheshire East's planning officer to tomorrow's meeting states: "The previous refusal raised concerns including the size of the plots, the building line and concerns that the proposal would not meet the most up-to-date housing need.

"This application addresses these concerns by increasing the number of plots from two to eight and introduces smaller house types."

The report then goes on to recommend the PIP stage be approved.

It acknowledges the proposed development would result in residential development located beyond the Sandbach settlement boundary and would conflict with a number of polices, and that it 'conflicts with the development plan as a whole'.

But it then adds: "However, the council is unable to demonstrate a five-year supply of housing, and paragraph 11d of the NPPF (national planning policy framework) is engaged.

"The NPPF seeks to boost significantly the supply of housing and the development of eight houses would make a small contribution to meeting the council's housing need."

It concludes: "The adverse impacts of the proposal would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the policies within the NPPF."

The application will be considered at the meeting of the southern planning committee which takes place on Wednesday, April 2, at 10am at Crewe Municipal Buildings.

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