A corner of green space took centre stage at a planning appeal this week. Councillors, residents and developers gathered for a two-day hearing into proposals to build a care village on land off Coppice Way in Handforth.
Greystone UK had appealed against Cheshire East council’s decision to refuse the planning application to build a 58-bed care home, 47 care cottages, 15 affordable homes and a community centre.
The two sides met at Macclesfield town hall for the planning hearing, which began on Tuesday.
Speaking at the hearing, a Greystone representative said: “The application was rejected despite officers’ recommendation. It’s a suitable location, there are no technical objections and it will release market housing.
“It will help meet an increasing need and bring forward development of an underused site. This is a good proposal which should have been consented long ago.”
But a Cheshire East officer told the inspector that there was an oversupply of care homes.
She said: “This may result in an influx of residents from outside the borough, so the council finds itself funding this extra care. It’s not the most appropriate site and the housing is not truly affordable.
“There should not be piecemeal development like this before the Local Plan.”
Ward and parish councillors argue Handforth is having more than its fair share of new development with the proposal in the Local Plan for 2,300 homes east of the bypass.
A Jones Homes application for 175 houses south of the care village site depends on the plan going ahead as it would use an access road from a new spur off the Coppice Way roundabout.
The appeal was continuing at the time of going to press.
