Green light for car park and office extension

Plans to extend the offices and create additional car parking at a former farm located within the Green Belt have been approved by the Northern Planning Committee, despite the Planning Officer recommending them for refusal.

Select Property Group has been working to develop the former Horseshoe Farm site on Horseshoe Lane as their international Head Quarters since taking over as the sole owner in 2016.

The approved scheme includes extending the offices and the creation of 60 additional car parking spaces to provide a total of 120 spaces. The existing car park will be retained and resurfaced along with the creation of new visitor car parking areas including an overflow car park, which would be used less frequently.

The application was called in to committee by our Ward Councillor Craig Brown. He felt because the site of the proposed development lies within the Green Belt, the application would benefit from being heard at Northern Planning Committee, to enable them to debate whether there are special circumstances.

The planning officer recommended that the committee refuse the application because the proposed carpark is an inappropriate form of development within the Green Belt.

However, at their meeting on Wednesday, 11th July, members approved the application by 6 votes to 3.

Councillor Craig Browne said "Whilst I sympathised with the officer's position, whose job is to apply Cheshire East Council Policy, I also felt that the policy was designed to protect and defend and that in this very specific case it neither protected local jobs, nor defended the amenity for local residents.

"Whilst it goes against my principles to support inappropriate development within the green belt, successive planning applications granted on this site since 2012, had already fundamentally changed its character from that of a former farm and shop.

"Select Property Group have thrived on this site and already employ within the region of 130 members of staff, whilst Cheshire East Council's Parking Standards suggest that only 58 parking spaces are necessary to accommodate this number of staff, with others expected to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to work. I agreed with the applicant, local residents and Parish Councillors, all of whom felt that this was unrealistic.

"Proposing the application for approval (against officer recommendation), fellow members of Northern Planning Committee agreed with me by 6 votes to 3 (with 3 further abstentions) that very special circumstances existed in the form of the contribution of the business to the local economy, the dire need for additional parking, improvement of the amenity for nearby residents on Horseshoe Lane and the proposal's respect for the existing character and appearance of the area. As a result of the application's approval, a number of highway improvement measures will also be introduced by the applicant, which have been secured by planning condition."

Cllr Browne added "In addition, the applicant has confirmed that the new 60-space car park will be available to support community events (e.g. the May Fair) that take place during weekends."

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Select Property Group