Charity in appeal over rejected plan for campus
ACHILDREN’S charity is appealing after town hall bosses rejected plans for a huge school campus redevelopment following a row over the selling off of green belt land.
The Seashell Trust, which helps disabled children with highly complex needs, is appealing the ‘flawed’ decision made by a Stockport council planning committee earlier this year.
Funding for the creation of a ‘centre of excellence’ for the charity, at Schools Hill, Cheadle, was to be secured by selling green belt land for 325 new homes.
But a council planning committee ruled that the necessary ‘special circumstances’ to allow development of the green belt were not met and the plans were turned down.
The matter will now be taken to the planning inspectorate.
Seashell Trust chief executive and school principal, Mark Geraghty, said: “We were obviously incredibly disappointed with the planning committee’s decision.
“Particularly as they went against their own officers’ professional advice and recommendation to then refuse the application. We have been working incredibly hard to answer every question asked of us by the planners and firmly believe we have proved beyond doubt the need for a new school and campus transformation of this nature and the very special circumstances that allow for the application to be approved.
“The board of trustees strongly feels that the decision made by the planning committee was flawed.
“We look after some of the most vulnerable and challenged young people in society and it is our duty to fight for what is best for them.”
The charity had spent two years bringing the planning application to the table.
It says the sale of the land is crucial to the redevelopment to replace its current, outdated campus and they had ‘exhausted every other option.’
Planning officers had said that the special circumstances for green belt development had been met but the majority of councillors on the planning committee disagreed.
And they said only 30 per cent of the homes would be affordable housing when planning policy stated it should be 50pc.
A council spokeswoman said: “We’re aware of an appeal. This will now be heard through the appropriate process.”