Homeowner told to demolish wall
THE owner of a home in a leafy suburb of Macclesfield faces having to demolish his boundary wall and gates following complaints from his neighbours.
Malcolm Winterbottom, of Greendale Lane, Mottram St Andrew, put up the more substantial barrier to replace a hedge at his property - but did so without planning permission.
And Cheshire East Council has now rejected his retrospective planning application on the grounds the wall is inappropriate for the green belt and visually obtrusive.
It was also found that the wall caused highway safety issues because it
was big enough to affect visibility.
Unless he successfully appeals, Mr Winterbottom will now have to get rid of the gates and wall or be subject to council enforcement action.
The report by council planners stated: “The existing wall and gate are considered harmful to highway safety - the council attaches substantial weight to this harm.
“The proposed development, by reason of its size, siting and design, would form a visually obtrusive feature which would detract from the rural character and appearance of the area.”
Work to build the wall and gates took one month and began at the beginning of March this year.
But once they went up and the council was made aware Mr Winterbottom was told he must have planning permission. At this point neighbours submitted complaints to planners.
One said: “The wall construction method is not in keeping and isn’t sympathetic to properties in the greenbelt.
“When vehicles are leaving the property they have poor visibility due to the wall and this could cause accidents with other vehicles on the lane at the same time.
“There are small children resident on the lane and this could be hazardous for them when using the footpath.”
Mottram Parish Council also raised an objection.
Mr Winterbottom was asked for comment via Wiplow Ltd, the agents for the development, but declined.