Town makes formal complaint over planning procedures

A TOWN council is to make a formal complaint over planning procedures at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

It comes after members of the district council’s planning applications committee gave the go-ahead for the change of use of Park View Guest House, off Mill Road, Cheadle, to a residential care home for children.

Speaking at the district council’s planning meeting, Cheadle Mayor Ian Plant asked for the application to be deferred as many nearby residents had not received letters of notification, and also that Cheadle Town Council had not had time to discuss the plans.

Mr Plant also stated that the planning notice advertising the application had not been up for sufficient time.

However, despite the plea, the council’s operational manager, Ben Haywood, said that the authority had fulfilled their requirements on the consultation and the application should be decided by the planning committee.

Speaking at last week’s meeting of Cheadle Town Council, Councillor Greg Powell, said: “No resident knew about this plan until late on. There was no site notice and there was no proper consultation on it. There was also no consultation with the police.

“The facts show that the district council did not consult with people.

There is a whole raft of things not done. Residents have said that they have not been consulted properly. It is important that we establish if they have been consulted. If we do not change it, things will not get better.”

Councillor Alan Thomas said: “We are not opposed to the house, it is a matter of principle that has not been followed.

“Covid-19 has given people different ways to do things. This should not have been allowed to happen. There is also no police report. It is in the interest of the people of Cheadle to complain.”

Councillor Ian Plant, left, said the complaint was about the procedure. He said: “We are not against the house, its the procedure followed.”

Councillor Stephen Ellis said that comments about the plan had been made.

He said: “The comments made were mostly about the firm. A change of use is of a low level. The matter of the occupier is the responsibility of Ofsted.”

Councillor Kate Martin said: “The application sign was up. There were a lot of people for it. It is our fault we did not meet to discuss it.”

Councillors voted 10 to four with one abstention in favour of forwarding a complaint over the planning application procedure to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.