Application to retain flat surface at Finlow Farm

Another retrospective planning application has been submitted to Cheshire East Council for the development at Finlows Bower Farm, which is located within the North Cheshire Green Belt and an Area of Special County Value.

This most recent proposal seeks full planning permission for the retention of engineering operations associated with the contouring and levelling of paddock/grazing land, part of which has been covered with a hard service to create a tennis court.

The tennis court, which breaks up the natural views across the Cheshire Plain from Stormy Point, was constructed without planning permission, as were the two sets of entrance gates on Mottram Road - a second retrospective planning application, reference11/0249M, for the retention of these was refused in March 2011 but we understand that they are still in place.

This latest planning application, reference 11/3394M, proposes that the hard surface will be removed and replaced with grass. However, the new contours of the land would be kept as presently existing so that a level grassed area would be retained.

Philip Jobling from the Edge Association said "Both the National Trust and ourselves were concerned about the impact of the earthmoving on what is a very important piece of landscape when it is enjoyed by thousands of people every year looking down from the Edge.

"All this application does is replace the artificial surface that has been laid with grass. From a distance it will look exactly the same and so our opposition to what has been done without planning consent remains. We will be urging the Council to stand firm."

This application is a resubmission of a similar proposal, reference 10/3342M, that was refused in February 2011, since then additional landscaping and screen planting has apparently taken place and more is proposed in the form of trees, shrubs and hedges to provide extra ground cover.

Application 10/3342M proposed to remove the hard surface and replant the levelled area so it could then be used as a lawn tennis court for a maximum period of 28 days in any calendar year.

Cheshire East Council refused the retrospective application because it was deemed "an inappropriate form of development within the Green Belt, as defined by the Development Plan" and "would cause harm to the objectives of those policies by virtue of engineering operations that would fail to safeguard the countryside from domestic encroachment."

The Council considered that no special circumstances existed to justify the approval of the tennis court, which they deemed inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

This latest planning application regarding the tennis court and engineering operations, reference 11/3394M, can be viewed on the Cheshire East website and the closing date for comments is 2nd November 2011.

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Cheshire East Council, Finlow Farm, Planning Applications