Council ditches opposition for more than 200 homes in North Staffordshire town

A fresh attempt to stop the development of an over 200-home estate in a North Staffordshire town has started. Developer Bloor Homes NW launched an appeal over the decision to refuse the estate on a greenfield site off Froghall Road in Cheadle.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council originally argued that refusal of the application was on the grounds that the development is outside the development boundary of Cheadle; it would result in harmful encroachment on the setting of the grade II Broad Hayes Farmhouse and the development will not respect or enhance the local landscape character. 

However this was disputed by planning committee chairman, Councillor Peter Wilkinson, who claimed that members of the planning committee were not consulted on the original refusal reasons. His argument was dismissed by the legal team acting for the council who claimed that Councillor Wilkinson was acting in a personal capacity and not as the planning committee chairman.

The plans would see 215 homes delivered with up to 71 affordable homes delivered; however, at the time 185 residents objected to the scheme. Now a public inquiry is taking place to determine whether the development can go ahead.

In a last minute decision the council decided to drop their opposition to the appeal and claimed in an email to the inspector that defence of the appeal was ‘untenable’. This means that the council will no longer give any evidence to the appeal or defend the reasons for refusal. 

Addressing the appeal inquiry, Howard Leithead speaking on behalf of the council, said: “This appeal was referred to the council’s planning committee on Thursday 23 January, in light of the very particular facts of this appeal and in consideration of the very particular facts of the Oakamoor Road appeal decision it was resolved that the council will not defend the reasons for refusal and not offer any evidence, except in relation to five year housing land supply.”

Sarah Reid KC speaking on behalf of the appellant, told the inquiry: “This is very clearly a scheme for sustainable development within the meaning of the framework, it will deliver much needed market and affordable housing in a district where there is an acute and critical need to do so. As confirmed in the recently published NPPF and numerous announcements from the incoming government, the delivery of a sufficient and rolling supply of housing is a national priority.”

Miss Reid added that the shortfall in housing across the Staffordshire Moorlands is 1062 homes and claimed there has been a persistent underdelivery of housing.

Despite the council dropping their opposition to the development, a number of other interested parties addressed the inquiry to voice their concerns.

District councillor and chairman of Kingsley Parish Council, who objected to the scheme, Councillor James Aberley, said: We consider from every angle looking at the site the development will be visible, it affects the open countryside of the south Churnet Valley and of course the setting of the listed Broad Hayes Farmhouse very out of place. The word overbearing keeps coming up locally and that leads to our issues with size and scale.

“Locally the nearby village of Kingsley Holt has taken hundreds of years to grow from 289 houses and also in the parish nearby the village of Whiston has around 170; therefore this creates a whole extra village near the same size in one stroke and materially changes the makeup and local character of our parish.”

The inquiry continues