Size matters as homes decision is sent to ‘VAR’
APLANNING committee decided size does matter after confusion over how big a housing development in Macclesfield town centre would be.
MSB Developments have submitted proposals for 12 new homes - split into two terrace blocks - on a former industrial site on Bank Street.
Members of a Cheshire East Council committee deferred a decision on whether to approve the scheme, asking planning officers to make a video of the site to enable a ‘virtual site visit’. The reason for this was to get rid of uncertainty over the size of the site, which used to be home to Stanley Press Equipment.
Councillor Fiona Wilson, from Macclesfield Town Council, spoke against the proposals saying on the application form the size is given as 0.7 hectares.
But in email communication with MSB Developments the site was measured at 0.27 hectares, described as ‘quite a large discrepancy’.
Cheshire East councillor Mick Warren, for Macclesfield East, said he had measured the site on Google Maps and also got 0.27 hectares.
The size of the development is important because if it is 0.7 council policy requires 30 per cent should be affordable housing.
Should it be 0.27 this would not trigger the affordable homes requirement but would lead to questions of whether 12 houses was overdevelopment.
Coun Wilson said: “The town council requests that councillors at least defer the application until clarity has been obtained over the size of the development or a site visit can take place for the committee to see for themselves how large the site is.”
Coun Warren said: “It is clear overdevelopment. Ask the developer to come back with a better scheme, the development will dominate the current houses.
“You are not here to provide the developer with profits, you are here to ensure the development meets the needs of current and future residents. I like the current design, I am talking about the number of houses.”
The two councillors were raising concerns on behalf of residents on Bank Street and Greenhills Close, which also included parking provision and loss of privacy.
Originally the proposals had been for 14 homes but MSB reduced this to 12, with more bedrooms in some, in response to concerns of overdevelopment.
Cheshire East planning officer Paul Wakefield said the site was 0.27 hectares but this was big enough for 12 houses and in keeping with an already densely built up area.
Coun Nick Mannion suggested the virtual site visit because socially distancing restrictions currently prevent an actual visit.
He added: “This development will be there for decades, we need to get it right.”
Mr Wakefield said a decision on the application could not be deferred too long as the council could run out of time and it could be approved by default.
He agreed to the request for a video but said: “I’m not sure what additional benefit it would provide.”
The application deferred for a month.
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