CONTROVERSIAL plans for 100 new homes in Tarporley will be decided by the Secretary of State.
Eric Pickles MP has chosen to ‘recover’ the appeal lodged by developers Fox Strategic Land and Property (FLP), who want to build houses on land off Nantwich Road, so he can rule on the proposal himself.
In a letter sent to the inspector originally tasked with determining the appeal, as well as the developers and Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), Mark Boulton – manager of the Secretary of State casework team – said: “This means that instead of writing a decision, the inspector will prepare a report and recommendation, which will be forwarded to the Secretary of State.
“The reason for this direction is that the appeal involves proposals giving rise to substantial regional or national controversy and which raise important or novel issues of development control, and/or legal difficulties.”
Michael George, spokesman for the residents’ action group, said: “From our point of view it’s good news because it’s going through the most thorough and complete process it could do.
“I’d like to say a huge thanks to our MP Stephen O’Brien who’s done sterling work to have it called in.”
FLP lodged an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate at the end of last year after CWaC had failed to decide on its application – which had more than 1,000 objections – within the statutory eight-week period. As a result, a four-day public inquiry was held at Winsford Town Council HQ in May before inspector Keith Manning.
CWaC’s planning committee had met in February to inform the inspector what decision it would have reached on the application. Members voted to approve it.
In a bid to avoid a public inquiry, the developers had submitted a second – almost identical – planning application.
However, when the same committee met again in early May to rule on the second application it was rejected, meaning the public inquiry went ahead.
