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THURSDAY, 5th AUGUST, 2010.

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INSIDE: OUR COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY GUIDE FEATURING LOCAL ESTATE AGENTS

Affordable homes shortage

Page 27

Chance to bag a first Readers'ViewsPages22-26

Page 8

What’s on... What’s gone...

Pages 19-21

Water lil sets sail

Page 16

Nature reserve man: I’ll stage rooftop demo at Westfields By Kelly Harris

The owner of a nature reserve, popular with children, is to take his protest to the rooftops, now that a Government planning inspector has banned the enterprise.

Leo Deen, who runs the Timbersbrook Project on Pedley Lane, was told y Cheshire East Council that he could not change the agricultural land to recreational and educational use without ermission — and lanning inspector Chris

Hoult agreed.

But Mr Deen is not giving up and said he would take his protest to the roof of Westfields, the council’s headquarters in Sandbach “within the next two weeks”.

He said: “It’ll be me and somebody else. I don’t want to give the date otherwise they will stop it. I have got my transporter to get me up there — a cherrypicker.

“I want to show people the truth. The council are supposed to represent the people. They should go with the majority not one person, it’s a vendetta against me.”

Council staff may not be surprised: in another stunt in December, Mr Deen delivered a dead baby goat at the reception, saying that he could not afford a vet to supervise the kid’s birth because council “dithering” over the land’s legal status had made the project’s future uncertain.

Mr Hoult dismissed the appeal against the enforcement notice just 10 days after the public inquiry on 20th July.

The notice, issued in January, demanded the removal of all structures associated with the unauthorised use such as animal shelters, aviaries, classroom, gift shop, toilet, walkways, parking area and signs. • —Turn to back page.

It’s another world record for berry grower Kelvin

Giant gooseberry grower Kelvin Archer made competitors green with envy on Saturday, when he smashed a world record at the annual Lower Withington Gooseberry Show. To find out the winning weights and for more results, turn to pages 28 and 29. (“Chronicle” photo. 3111/10).

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Community group sorry to disappoint residents over park revamp plans

The credibility of a Congleton community group could be in tatters because the Government has pulled funding from its national Playbuilder Scheme.

Bromley Farm Community Trust chairman Glenn Williams said he feared residents would feel let down by the organisation after it promised a £45,000 revamp of the area’s park.

As it will now be unable to carry out the much-anticipated work, he said people could lose trust in the group for future projects.

Mr Williams said: “Bromley Farm Community Trust has been very successful over the last six years in securing funding to provide new facilities for the park. This is the first time we have been seriously let down and have therefore disappointed residents.

“Great opportunities have been taken away from us. It is an immense disappointment.”

The trust secured £45,000 in October as part of the Playbuilder Scheme but like other groups throughout the country that had been informed they had secured money, they learned last week that the Government would not provide it after all.

Mr Williams received a letter from Cheshire East’s Cabinet member for health and wellbeing Coun Andrew Knowles explaining that the funds had been pulled as part of the Government’s spending review. • —Turn to back page.

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