Lyme Green housing scheme recommended for approval

Plans for a 42-home scheme in Lyme Green have again been recommended for approval despite objections from the parish council and local residents.

Morris Homes and the trustees of the Lyme Green Settlement have applied for full planning permission for the development on land west of London Road and south of Gaw End Lane.

Vehicular and pedestrian access would be taken directly from London Road with further pedestrian connections made with the adjoining development to the west and Gaw End Lane. The application was deferred at the July meeting of Cheshire East ’s strategic planning board for clarification over a number of matters, including concerns one of the houses could have an electricity substation in the back garden.

Councillors were also concerned about over-development of the site, the lack of play area and open space, the housing mix and pepper potting and they called for improvements to the boundary to the nature reserve and clarification regarding flooding mitigation. The scheme is due to be considered again at Wednesday’s (October 26) meeting.

The council’s planning officer says the principle of residential development on the site has been established through the granting of outline planning permission for a larger development adjoining it and its allocation in the local plan. “Following deferral of the application, the scheme has been amended. The amendments have been assessed in the report and have been subject to further consultation,” states the officer in the report.

He adds: “The proposal is for sustainable development which would bring environmental, economic and social benefits and is therefore considered to be acceptable.” Sutton Parish Council has objected to the application.

It says if the development goes ahead it will exceed the number of houses agreed in the local plan for the site – when combined with the recently approved scheme of more than 300 homes – and ‘could affect the whole parish’.

The parish council argues it is over-development of the site and it also raised highways concerns saying another junction should not be permitted on to London Road ‘as there are already seven on a stretch of road which is dangerous in terms of speeding traffic’. Thirty letters of objection have also been received by the council from local residents.

These raise concerns about a number of matters including the lack of infrastructure, flooding and highways The scheme has been recommended for approval, subject to conditions.

The meeting takes place on Wednesday, October 26, at Macclesfield Town Hall at 10am.