PICKLES CHANGES THE GOALPOSTS
Cheshire East have stated they have demonstrated a ‘five year housing’ supply which defends the countryside against unwanted development, but a number of developers have been challenging this in planning appeals around the county saying Cheshire East have used the wrong methodology.
Basically stating any shortfall in housing has to be provided within the first 5 years of the Local Plan rather than the method Cheshire East have used to allow any shortfall to be spread over the full period of the Local Plan.
Unfortunately Eric Pickles has ruled in favour of the developers.
So now Cheshire East are deemed not to be able to demonstrate a ‘five year housing’ supply, which could open the door for developers to build anywhere in Cheshire East that can be shown to be a ‘sustainable development’. This is also not helped by the fact that the Local Plan is not yet in place.
Whilst Goostrey does not meet all the accepted requirement for ‘sustainable development’, it might encourage more speculative planning applications.
We are not opposed to development of the village, the quoted 30-50 houses in the next 18 years would seem sensible. However to protect Goostrey (and other villages) around Cheshire East from further unwanted development then we need to give Councillor Michael Jones at Cheshire East our support.
Read the Crewe Chronicle article , and listen to him on Radio Stoke.
