Plan agreed for up to 310 greenbelt homes
UP to 310 homes are set to be built on former greenbelt land at Lyme Green – despite fears more could follow on the site.
Cheshire East Council’s strategic planning board approved plans from Bovis Homes for the development, off Gaw End Lane, Macclesfield, at a meeting on Wednesday.
Bovis had wanted to build up to 330 homes on the site, but officers put a cap of 310 on the site because 20 of the homes would be too near the council’s floodlit Lyme Green depot.
The development would be on a site that was taken out of the greenbelt in the council’s local plan for ‘around 300 homes’ to be built.
Coun Hilda Gaddum, Conservative member for Sutton, suggested that residents in her ward would be disappointed if more homes are eventually built on the remainder of the local plan site.
She said: “In my mind, around 300 homes should be for the whole site. That is what I suggest the public believes to be the case.”
Coun Steve Hogben, Labour, added: “If we can just ignore that and say it was 400 homes and not 300, that would change the whole basis of using allocations in the local plan.”
But officers told the committee that the council ‘should not be bound’ by the number allocated in the local plan, and more homes could be built if they can fit on an allocated site – while other sites could have fewer homes built on them than originally allocated.
“We are encouraged to build housing,” said David Malcolm, planning manager.
“We would really struggle at appeal if it was on the grounds of building ‘a few more’.”
Bovis’ proposal was an ‘outline application’ meaning more detailed plans for the designs will be submitted and need approving in future.
Coun Janet Jackson, Labour, said ‘there is a lot going on that needs to be considered’ before this.
She said: “The number of houses, the proximity of those houses to Lyme Green Depot – I really think the houses should be further from that.”
Coun Steve Edgar, Conservative, added that access to the housing site would need improving.
Members approved the development, which is expected to be made up of 30 per cent affordable housing.
As part of the scheme, Bovis will contribute more than £1.6m towards education provision, plus £332,640 towards Waters Green Medical Centre.