The Lyme Green scandal has cost taxpayers more than £1m. Cheshire East council spent £225,000 on an independent investigation into the planning fiasco, it admitted yesterday – sending the total bill soaring into seven figures.

A total of £800,000 had already been spent on the ill-fated project – which never went ahead.

But the council is refusing to make the investigation report public. It says it must remain confidential and will instead compile a summary of its findings in the coming weeks.

Coun Michael Jones, council leader, said the cost of the probe was a ‘necessary price to pay’ given the amount of public concern over the issue, and that he now wanted to ‘draw a line’ under the episode.

The £225k has been spent on fees to the solicitors who compiled the report as well as legal advice to councillors overseeing the process. Coun Jones said: “In setting up this independent investigation, we wanted to ensure there was a full and robust account of what had actually taken place in relation to Lyme Green.

“We knew in advance that the use of a Designated Independent Person (DIP) would not be a cheap option but, given the level of public concern about the matter, we felt this was a necessary price to pay.”

The Lyme Green scandal dates back to 2011.

CEC wanted to build a waste transfer station on the Lyme Green site in south Macclesfield in autumn 2011 as part of its silver bin scheme.

But the Express exclusively revealed that work had begun before planning permission was granted.

The original internal report into the fiasco found more than £800,000 was spent on the botched project and numerous council rules – as well as EU procurement – laws were broken before an independent investigation was commissioned by the council.

Since the DIP report was submitted in December, the cabinet member in charge of waste, Coun Rod Menlove, has resigned along with the former Director of Places John Nicholson, ex-borough solicitor Caroline Elwood and former Finance Director Lisa Quinn.

Christine Eyre, a Lyme Green resident for 43 years, Sutton Parish councillor and leading member of the Lyme Green Residents’ Group said: “I’m staggered at the cost of the investigation.

“I thought it would be expensive but nowhere near that amount.

“Added to the amount that’s already been wasted it’s an absolute public disgrace.”

Peter Yates, former head of planning at Macclesfield Borough council, said residents could not be sure all the lessons had learned unless the report was released.

Mr Yates said: “The Independent investigator has done a good job. Whether £225,000 is a good price for a good job, I don’t know.

“The most important thing is that, after so much money has been wasted, we learn the lessons. And we can’t be sure that there aren’t potential cover-ups still going on until we see the report.

“I don’t understand why they can’t release it now.”

Coun Sam Corcoran, spokesman for the Labour group, said: “Just three weeks ago we were told it was going to cost £100,000 so to go from that to £225,000 shows a lack of control of the finances in my opinion.

“I just don’t understand how we have got ourselves into this position where we have paid that amount of money for a report that we are not going to see.

“It was obvious that the press and public were going to want to see a copy of the report.”

But Poynton councillor Howard Murray, who chaired the sub-committee which oversaw the investigation, said Lyme Green was about more than cost and the report had been thorough.

He said: “Lyme Green cannot be judged solely on cost. It demonstrates what happens when there is a lack of principled leadership and clear rules are broken.

“This was a thorough report and it is that thoroughness that will help us repair the reputation of the council.”

Coun Jones added: “We have worked closely with the DIP, which has enabled the time taken to complete the review to be shortened, as well as giving us very clear outcomes in his comprehensive report.

“Actions have been taken or are in hand on all these recommendations.

“We have also engaged the services of an expert legal adviser to assist this process, particularly in supporting the work of our staffing sub-committee, which considered the report of the DIP.

“The full costs of all this vital work have now been identified as £225,000.

“As promised earlier, we will shortly issue a summary of the findings of the DIP, whose report must remain confidential, and this will demonstrate that we have acted on the lessons to be learned from these unusual events.

“My hope would be that we can now draw a line under this episode and move forward more positively to deliver the very best services we can for the people of Cheshire East.”