A 105-home care village is set to be built on former farmland after residents lost a battle to save it from development.
Planning inspectors overturned a decision by Cheshire East council to refuse the planning permission for the development off Coppice way in Handforth.
The land was formerly part of the farm associated with neighbouring Handforth Hall – a black and white timbered building built by Sir Urian Brereton in 1562 – and was in the green belt until 1986.
Cheshire East fought a three-day appeal by developers Greystone UK Ltd at Macclesfield Town Hall in April after refusing plans for a 58-bedroom care home, 47 care cottages, 15 affordable homes and a community centre last November.
It followed a failed appeal by Greystone in 2011 when a planning inspector decided the case for the need for a care village had not been proved.
Residents hoped the appeal would be dismissed again – but inspector Stephen Roscoe decided in Greystone’s favour.
Coun Barry Burkhill, Handforth Ratepayer ward councillor, who fought the appeal with Coun Dennis Mahon, said: “We have fought to retain this greenfield site since it was disastrously removed from the green belt in 1986.
“Since then under Macclesfield Borough Council we always had a new Local Plan to take over from the old one.
“We have been without a Local Plan for two years, leaving us at the mercy of developers with deep pockets and teams of expert lawyers to win appeals.
“We had negotiated that this land would be safeguarded in the next Local Plan but sadly the appeal took place before this could happen.”
Mr Roscoe said a policy in the former Local Plan – which lapsed in 2011 – which ‘safeguarded’ the land to prevent its development until after the end of the plan period is out of date.
Residents fear development could also take place on land to the south of the care village site, which is subject to a Jones Homes application for 175 houses.
The application would use an access road created as part of the care village plan. The access was allowed by the planning inspector in a second appeal also heard at April’s hearing.
The move also comes as Handforth faces up to 2,300 new homes in a new settlement on council-owned green belt to the east of the bypass.
A statement by Handforth Parish Council said the decision was a ‘bitter blow’.
It said: “If Cheshire East gets the go-ahead to build more than 2,000 homes to the east of the A34, the parish of Handforth will lose more than two thirds of its green belt.
“And if the Jones Homes development gets the green light, the village of Handforth will transform into an urban sprawl virtually from Styal to Woodford.
“The fledgling Handforth Parish Council has fought hard to protect its green areas and is going to need the help of residents in the planning battles to come.”
