Garden centre application is delayed

dobbies

Dobbies' plans to build a controversial gardening superstore on a 17 acre site in Nether Alderley were delayed further this week when the Strategic Planning Board met to review an application on behalf of Matthews Garden Centre for an extension to their original planning permission.

The outline planning permission (03/3214P), which was granted on 9th March 2005, for the relocation of the existing garden centre and landscape contractors business across the road from the AstraZeneca site where it had operated for 35 years, required the development to commence within 5 years, or within 2 years of approval of the last of the reserved matters which happened on 18th April 2008.

Having decided not to relocate there Matthews teamed up with Dobbies, whose Garden World application, which they submitted last year, sought to draw on the approved planning permission for the relocation of the original Matthews Garden Centre and transfer this consent to another site down the road.

When considering planning permission extensions Local Planning Authorities are advised to only look at issues that may have changed significantly since that planning permission was previously considered to be acceptable, therefore they cannot re-open debates about principles of any particular proposal, except where material circumstances have changed.

However, in this case there were considered to have been fundamental changes to the planning policy framework, that require both a Flood Risk Assessment and Habitat Surveys for both the Great Crested Newts and other European protected species such as bats.

As all the supporting information had not been submitted, and there was also a lack of any Legal Obligation or Heads of Terms, the Strategic Planning Board decided there was insufficient information to determine this application.

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: “The application number has been deferred to the Strategic Planning Board meeting of October 6, 2010. This is to allow the applicant more time to conduct an ecological survey and look at legal agreements.”

Nether Alderley Parish Council, The Edge Association, ten individuals and one local company all objected to the renewal on the grounds that the existing garden centre has relocated to Somerford Booth and had been granted permission as a very special circumstance in terms of green belt policy. As these circumstances are no longer evident they claimed there is no justification for this application.

A decision is yet to be made regarding the revised planning application (09/3109M) which Dobbies' submitted on September 28th 2009 for the Garden World Development.

Changes to their original plans included a reduction in size by 30%, enhanced landscape proposals, a new curved roof with a reduced eaves height and the distance between the proposed Dobbies and the nearest residential property to the south had been increased. 

Tags:
Dobbies, Garden Centres, Garden World , Nether Alderley, Planning Applications
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Leif Romell
Thursday 1st July 2010 at 12:47 pm
"Nether Alderley Parish Council, The Edge Association, ten individuals and one local company all objected to the renewal"

I don't understand this statement when the document list with objections on the Cheshire East web site runs to almost 450 letters or emails of objection?

(See http://bit.ly/b15Azy for document list)
Lisa Reeves
Thursday 1st July 2010 at 1:07 pm
I am referring to the application on behalf of Matthews Garden Centre for an extension to their original planning permission which was granted in 2005 and permitted them to relocate the existing garden centre across the road from the Astrazeneca site.

The objections I mentioned above are those who objected against this extension being granted to Matthews.

The almost 450 objections which you mention are to a different planning application. These people objected to the Dobbies planning application which was submitted last year.

Whilst they are two different applications, by two different companies, they are connected because Dobbies are seeking to draw on the original planning permission for the relocation of the Matthews Garden Centre and transfer this consent to another site down the road - which is why it is important for Dobbies that this original planning permission does not expire.