Row as land used for giant car park
ANGER has been sparked after part of Macclesfield’s greenbelt was turned into a large car park for up to 100 vehicles from the town’s major showrooms.
The land, by the canal off Gaw End Lane, Sutton, has been covered in hardstanding without permission and Cheshire East Council has begun enforcement action.
Owner of the land Henshaw’s Skip Hire has been given three weeks from December 12 to have the cars removed and three months to get rid of the asphalt.
But Joe Henshaw, from the company, says a planning application for 18 months of car parking was submitted in November, when this practice began.
While any subsequent approval of an application would allow it continue, in the meantime some residents in the area are unhappy.
One, who wished not to be named, said: “It is a real eyesore, the field has been covered with hardstanding and there are cars on it in an iron cage.
“People living here are not happy about it, it is so ugly.”
The land owned by Mr Henshaw is at the site where outline plans by housebuilder Bovis for up to 310 new homes were approved by the council.
Sutton councillor Hilda Gaddum said: “People are astounded, when I first saw it I was horrified.
“It is a terrible way to treat the countryside.
“In the planning application (for homes) it refers to the area adjacent to the canal as a site of biological significance. It needs to be protected and this is very close.” Mr Henshaw said his firm has had an arrangement with dealerships to store their cars for five to 10 years. The number at one time varies from 20 to 100.
He said he made a ‘verbal agreement’ with the previous council administration over the use of site.
Mr Henshaw added that his plan is to use the site for 18 months before returning it to its former state when he secures an alternative site when economic conditions mean more are available.
A council spokesman said: “The council can confirm that an enforcement notice, in relation to the use of this land, was served on the owner, and others, on December 12.
“The notice requires the practice of storing vehicles and skips that are not associated with the agricultural use of the land to stop and for all unrelated vehicles, skips and the area of hard-standing, earth bunds, a gate and fencing, to be removed.
“The area of land cov- ered in hardstanding must be reinstated with topsoil and reseeded with grass.”
Failure to comply with enforcement notices could result in court action. A spokesman for Bovis said: “We have clarified with the council that the unauthorised works on the site were carried out without our knowledge.
“This work remains separate from our planning application.”
HOMES plan approved - see page seven