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Council forced to allow homes on a flood area By Steph Barnett

A developer has been allowed to build over 50 homes in Astbury because Cheshire East Council did not want to fight an appeal, a resident has claimed.

Councillors agreed, with one saying: “I’m reluctant to accept this application but I don’t think there is anything else we can do.”

Jenny Unsworth, who fought for the plan to be refused, lives at Marsh House directly opposite Marsh Farm, on ewcastle Road, where Bloor Homes plans to build 52 new homes.

Mrs Unsworth said: “I am going to make a formal complaint to Cheshire East because I don’t feel that the officers have dealt with this in an efficient and unbiased way.

“They have not done their homework and even the people who approved it only voted for it because they thought it would go to appeal.”

The mix of two, three, four and five-bedroomed homes was approved at a Cheshire East Council Southern Planning Committee last Wednesday, despite concerns from residents and councillors over drainage and highway safety.

Concerns listed at least eight letters of objection included the fact that the site had flooded

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five times in the past 30 years.

However the application was approved by five councillors to three, after several said they had no choice.

Coun Ray Westwood, who represents Rope Ward, said: “I have taken no comfort from any of the answers given by the developer’s representative.”

Coun Westwood said the council could not refuse it, adding: “I know that if we vote against this, we’re voting against the so-called experts and we know from experience that if we go to appeal, their opinions will be looked at more carefully than ours.

“I’m reluctant to accept this application but I don’t think there is anything else we can do.”

Coun Les Gilbert agreed and said he could think of no grounds to refuse the application.

Council planning officer David Townsend said: “There is concern that there are drainage problems. However the applicants are proposing that all of the surface water drainage from the houses and roads will drain within the site.

“It is not up to the developers to provide drainage for the surrounding area, it’s down to the local authority to deal with that.”

He added: “As for highway safety, the road is not categorised as a hazardous road and children will not have to cross the road to go to Marlfields or Eaton Bank School.” It was a right royal occasion for rose queen Phoebe Barrow and rosebud Lois Kennerly on Saturday. The two girls were the star attractions at Marton Village Fete. For the full story and another

• —Turn to back page.

picture, turn to the back page. (“Chronicle” photo. 3017a/10).

Rival developer says agreed town centre plan is ‘second best’

The company behind a proposed Congleton town centre re-development claims its plans are not dead in the water, despite the approval of a rival scheme.

The CWC group, which owns Capitol Walk, has publicised its plans for Congleton, although a planning application was never submitted.

Cheshire East Council approved the Scarborough Developments plan on 14th July, with work due to start in early 2011.

On Tuesday, CWC issued a Press release stating that it was disappointed with the council’s decision but was still “seriously considering” submitting its own planning application.

car park.

The Scarborough plan, first submitted in April 2009, includes a foodstore on the current market site and a public square that would accommodate the market, shops, cafés and a 93-bed hotel.

When deciding on the application, the council’s strategic planning board was told i t had to base a decision on the merits of Scarborough’s plans, and not on CWC’s speculative plans.

CWC states: “We still do not believe the Scarborough application is viable in the form i t is detailed and submitted and a revised application will therefore need to be submitted by them again in the future.

This scheme proposes a new foodstore on the Fairground car park with an attached library, the town market moved to Market Street, an indoor market at the current YMCA shop site and a health centre on Princess Street • —Turn to back page.

“We are obviously very disappointed about the planning decision that Cheshire East have had to make, although we fully appreciate their situat ion.

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