A developer is making a third attempt to add 25 homes to a 190-housing scheme in Holmes Chapel.

Cheshire East's strategic planning board refused applications from Bloor Homes in August 2021 and again in November 2022 to build the extra dwellings on the Bluebell Green site off London Road.

Both refusals were against council planning officers' recommendations.

Bloor appealed the second refusal but the inspector dismissed the appeal.

Now the developer has submitted a new outline application for the same site, south of Bluebell Road, which, it says, comprises the third phase of Bluebell Green.

Phase one, which consists of 76 homes, has been built out and phase two, of 114, is now also nearly complete.

A planning statement submitted by Emery Planning on behalf of Bloor Homes states: "A subsequent appeal against the second refusal was dismissed principally due to the conflict with open countryside policy in the development plan, at a time when the council could demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

"Circumstances have changed since the previous appeal.

"Following the publication of the revised national planning policy framework, the council can no longer demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

"In such circumstances, the open countryside policies are out-of-date, and the tilted planning balance is engaged.

"This means that planning permission should be granted, unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in the national planning policy framework."

The developer says the benefits of the scheme are:

• the delivery of new housing in an authority which cannot demonstrate a five-year supply;
• the delivery of 40 per cent affordable housing;
• economic benefits in the form of direct and indirect employment opportunities during construction and throughout the lifetime of the development through increased household spending in the local area;
• a scheme of off-site highways improvements, which would benefit both new and existing residents, particularly in relation to pedestrian connectivity;
• and delivery of a measurable 10 per cent biodiversity net gain.

The disadvantages of the scheme are listed as the loss of a greenfield site, and the associated conflict with open countryside policy.

Bloor argues, in the planning statement, 'the adverse impacts do not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposed development, and planning permission should be granted'.

The application, number 25/0331/OUT, can be viewed on the planning portal on Cheshire East Council's website.

The last date for comments is March 12, 2025.