The council leader has hit back at a planning inspector who dealt a blow to the authority’s housing plan.

A government planning inspector said Cheshire East is not able to prove it can provide enough housing land over the next five years to meet government targets.

The ruling was made in a report into an appeal for a development in Sandbach and came just weeks after the council said it had its five-year housing plan in place.

Cheshire East leader Michael Jones, who launched his Twitter account this week, immediately took to the social networking site to react to the claim.

He tweeted: ‘We stand by our position. We do have a five year housing supply!’

Coun Jones said inspectors ‘keep moving the goal posts’ for housing targets.

Targets set by the government include the total number of properties needed over the next five years plus a ‘buffer’ to account for additional demand.

He said: “This is just further example of the nonsensical and inconsistent decision-making within the Planning Inspectorate. In October, a planning inspector stated we had a 4.3 year supply, including the need for a 20 per cent buffer.

“More recently we had an inspector’s decision that we need only a five per cent buffer. Since October we have added many thousands of houses and permissions and it’s staggering this inspector can be so cavalier in saying we have not got a five-year supply.

“The timing of the appeal did not allow our full updated evidence to be presented, but the lack of consistency is immensely frustrating.

“We expect similar decisions until we get an inspector to review our evidence properly. It’s most disappointing the inspector has backed the developers.”

The inspector made the statement in a report over an appeal for a development at Elworth Hall Farm in Sandbach.

He gave the go-ahead for 94 homes at the site.

His report stated: “I conclude the council has not demonstrated a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites.”