Cheshire East planning officers are urging councillors not to defend an appeal from Nightingale Land to build 75 homes in the open countryside at Nantwich.

The company wants to build the dwellings on a 3.83-hectare field off Broad Lane.

The scheme also includes bulldozing the bungalow at 6 Broad Lane to create an access to the site.

Officers had recommended the application be approved but the strategic planning board (SPB) deferred it twice in March for a traffic assessment to identity any cumulative impact.

This was because councillors are aware applications for about 700 more homes are in the pipeline.

Proposed access to the site site off Broad Lane, which would see no 6, the property on the left, demolished (Photo: CEC Planning).

The matter is due back before the SPB next week with the original approval recommendation still on the agenda.

But the planning officer's report says: "Since the last committee deferral of March 25, the applicant has however submitted an appeal against the non-determination of the application.

advertisement

"They have chosen to appeal by means of the written representations process and are also seeking a costs award on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour, effectively as they do not believe the reasons for deferral are reasonable and it is unnecessarily delaying the decision.

"As can be seen from the original committee report, officers recommended that the application be approved.

"This remains the recommendation here, however as an appeal has now been lodged SPB are asked to reconsider that decision, and in this case, agree to not defend the appeal."

It adds if councillors reach a different outcome than the recommendation then they need to provide the reasons so the appeal can be defended.

The report points out the applicant has previously provided a legal opinion from Kings Chambers advising there is no justification for seeking a cumulative assessment of the proposal.

It continues: "Officers agree there is no legal basis in which to require this application for up to 75 dwellings, to take into account the cumulative impacts from much larger live applications which do not yet have a decision or recommendation and remains some time off doing so.

"There are no severe highway impacts from this scheme."

At one of the March meetings, Stapeley Parish councillor, Jo Hillman, had told the committee a cumulative assessment was 'imperative'.

advertisement

"We cannot stress how inadequate this road is for all these houses and until there's a fatality, nobody's going to take us seriously," she said.

The strategic planning board meeting takes place at Crewe Municipal Buildings at 10.30am on Tuesday 9 June.

READ MORE: Plans to bring water power back to historic Nantwich Mill site.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Nantwich Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Nantwich Nub News on Facebook.