Cheshire East got its sums wrong

Cheshire East Council is proposing an “urgent” amend to a section 106 agreement, fearing it faces a £1.5m hit on the cost of a proposed school building after getting its numbers wrong.
The case relates to an application by Manchester developer HIMOR to build an 880-home garden suburb on agricultural land to the south of Crewe at Gresty Lane.
HIMOR argued the council did not determine the application in time and launched an appeal which was heard at the end of July.
The planning inspector has given until August 22 for negotiations over the section 106 – a developer contribution to amenities and other services – which will come into force once a decision is made.
The council said an earlier calculation for HIMOR’s 106 contribution was based on the wrong formula. It stipulated a payment of £1.7m towards a new school when it should have been £3.2m.
A document prepared ahead of today’s meeting of the stragic planning board, said: “The figure recorded in the minutes was calculated by following the formula for calculating school places to be provided in existing education establishments and w as not in fact the build cost for a new building.”
It added: “The alternative to amending the original decision is therefore the council having to fund approximately £1.5m of costs associated with this development should the planning inspector allow the developer’s appeal.”