Plans to build a luxury spa hotel within the North Cheshire Green Belt at Harden Park have been withdrawn.
Northern Ireland-based developer Benmore Group has withdrawn their application to extend, refurbish and alter the former Yesterday's night club to create a 68 bedroom hotel with a bar, a basement gym, pool and spa treatment rooms.
Plans also included an underground car park for about 45 cars, surface level parking for 34 cars, a bat barn and pontoon by the pond.
The application was withdrawn on Wednesday, 21st September, on the same day the Northern Planning Committee were intending to discuss the planning application which was recommended for refusal.
The agent for this application, Colin Williams from The Planning Studio Ltd, said "We have withdrawn the application because we need to address the issues raised by the Council. The application has been pulled so we can work with the Council to resolve these issues."
The report prepared for the Northern Planning Committee meeting recognised there were benefits in terms of contributing to tourism and re-use of a derelict site within a reasonably accessible location. However, it did recommend refusal of the application on the grounds it is inappropriate development in the Green Belt and as such could only be approved if very special circumstances existed which outweighed the harm of inappropriate development.
Other grounds for recommended refusal include insufficient ecological information, unneighbourly development, adverse impact upon nature conservation interests, insufficient information on Flood Risk, inadequate sequential assessment and because it is contrary to local planning policies.
The building, which has been empty for years, was last used as a nightclub, restaurant and bar, though it had previously been a hotel. In 1983 planning permission was refused for change of use from a hotel to elderly persons accommodation and in 1988 permission was refused for 6 dwellings in the grounds of Yesterdays - both due to a conflict with greenbelt policy.
The planning application can be viewed on the Cheshire East planning portal by searching for planning reference 11/0268M.
