Plans for up to 29 holiday lodges at a marina site near Nantwich have been recommended for approval.

Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina Limited wants to change the use of agricultural land so the lodges and a manager's cabin can be provided on the site, which is on the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal.

The application also includes the creation of four ponds together with internal access roads and associated parking and storage.

The proposal is due to be considered by Cheshire East's southern planning committee on Wednesday 2 April.

The application includes the creation of four ponds together with internal access roads and associated parking and storage (Nub News).

A report to that committee from a Cheshire East planning officer says: "The council's economy manager supports the proposal advising that, post Covid-19, he is seeing those semi-rural locations such as Cheshire East becoming the staycation favourites due to the space that is available and the high-quality leisure and hospitality provision.

"This development will be able to capitalise on this trend thus ensuring Cheshire East is at the forefront of the recovery."

"Cheshire is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the staycation trend.

"These visitors will assist the economy of the rural area and potentially link it with the many and varied walking and cycling trails in Cheshire East."

The site is located within the open countryside where planning policy dictates that only development which is essential for agriculture, forestry, outdoor recreation, public infrastructure, or for other uses appropriate to a rural area will be permitted.

The planning officer's report says: "The proposal seeks the creation of holiday lodges and it has been demonstrated to be an essential facility for outdoor recreation in association with the existing marina and thus is considered to comply with this policy."

It says there would be many benefits of the scheme.

"The proposal seeks to provide a new rural enterprise with links to the existing marina, would provide some economic benefit to the rural economy, would provide some rural employment from the use and from the construction period, would provide potential for linked trips to the existing café on site, would provide heath and well-being, and would assist in meeting a local and national need for this kind of sporting facility," says the report.

It adds the development will not have a detrimental impact upon residential amenity.

Regarding the negatives, it says: "The proposal is isolated and fails a number of criteria relating to locational sustainability.

"However it is clearly linked to support the existing marina which has been deemed an acceptable rural use in this location."

The application will be considered by the southern planning committee at its meeting taking place at Crewe Municipal Buildings at 10am on Wednesday 2 April.

READ MORE: Sites with special ecological value could be 'de-allocated' from Cheshire East local plan.

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