Cheshire East councillors have approved controversial plans for 54 affordable homes in the open countryside with one saying Government policy had put the council “between a rock and a hard place”.
More than 150 people, together with Haslington Parish Council, objected to the proposal from Breck Homes to bulldoze 481, Crewe Road and build the dwellings on land behind it at Winterley.
Cheshire East’s planning officers agreed the proposal conflicts with local plan policies, (writes local democracy reporter Belinda Ryan).
But the council does not have a five-year supply of housing, which weighs in favour of the development.
The 54 affordable homes will be managed by the registered provider, Weaver Vale Housing Trust.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Southern Planning Committee, Coun Ben Wye (Crewe) raised concerns about the lack of a safe cycling route to school but was told there would be a safe walking route when a new crossing went in.
Coun Janet Clowes (Wybunbury) said: “I accept that, in terms of walking, it is a safe route to school.
“However, how many of those children are going to walk to school?
“Wheelock School is a long way up that road. Dingle School is a long way. It’s going to be cars.”
The Wybunbury councillor also raised concerns about the drainage.
She said she had seen cases where councillors had been assured drainage systems had gone through high level analysis but now people were living on waterlogged sites.
“There are all sorts of things I really don’t like about this application,” said Coun Clowes.
“I don’t like the knocking down of a perfectly good, attractive, beautiful house.
“I don’t like the fact that the officers say that this site actually fails to comply with any of our current policies.
“And I have to accept that the Government’s policies on housing numbers are such that it puts our council between a rock and a hard place.
“Nonetheless, it aggrieves me that we have to compromise our standards in order to meet imposed requirements from above.
“It makes the whole idea of devolution rather a nonsense.”
Dane Valley councillor Andrew Kolker said he agreed with Coun Clowes.
“However, we have a requirement to build more houses and, like the dark ages before we had a local plan, all objections or reasons for refusal based upon inappropriate location or open countryside, as long as it’s a sustainable location … they’re out of date, so we have no option but to consider sites like this,” he said.
“I’m really struggling to think of anything that we can offer to the debate, other than approval.”
Coun Kolker proposed the committee followed planning officers’ recommendations and approved the application and this was seconded by Coun Clowes.
Seven councillors voted in favour of approval and two voted against.
