Leader of Cheshire East Council Councillor Michael Jones has hit back at recent comments made by a Planning Inspector over the authority's 5-year supply of housing.
A Government Planning Inspector ruled that Cheshire East Council does not have a 5 year supply of housing land when allowing an appeal and granting planning permission for 94 homes to be built in Sandbach last week.
Councillor Michael Jones said: "This is just further example of the nonsensical and inconsistent decision-making being executed within the Planning Inspectorate at this current time.
"In October, a Planning Inspector's decision stated that we had a 4.3 year supply including the need for a 20 per cent buffer. More recently we have had an Inspector's decision that we need only a 5 per cent buffer. Since October we have added many thousands of houses and permissions and I find it staggering that this Inspector can be so cavalier in saying we have not got a 5-year supply. While the timing of the appeal did not allow the Council's full updated evidence case to be presented the lack of consistency of approach is immensely frustrating.
"We have more appeals to defend in the future and on all of these we will provide a fully evidenced assessment including the National Planning Policy Guidance to ensure we are compliant.
"What is disappointing is that this Inspector seemed determined to listen to developers who have a vested interest in profit rather than the Council who have a people interest and who are committed to Cheshire East's environment. It is most disappointing that the Inspector has backed developers and their vested interest.
"Cheshire East Council will now be exploring all options to defend the best interest of its residents. We expect similar decisions until we get an Inspector to review our evidence properly."
Click here to view previous article 'Inspector rules Cheshire East does not have 5 year housing supply'.
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With that attitude, he will continue to fail us council tax payers. Being in denial, the problems will not get fixed and keep recurring. CEC have had plenty of time to put a core planning strategy in place, under pinned by an agreed formula for calculating strategic housing land supply.
A strategic housing supply document revision tells us that we need 1050 new homes annually in CE and 26 in Handforth/Wilmslow combined. That's 21,000 over the period, whilst CEC, without one iota of decency have ignored us all and left the number at an unnecessary 27,500 or so. The extra housing WILL come back to haunt them, as will ignoring brown fields and windfalls in Wilmslow.
It's no wonder that we are fed up with local and national government pretending they are doing a good job. This is a council in trouble from above and below. Don't expect fairness to prevail in a run up to an election
Unbelievable. This from the man who stated he was going to "cash in" on Handforths Green Belt and has not listened to a single one of the tens of hundreds of objections from residents.
Do your home work and vote out those who wish to trample over the residents.
Council Leader, Cllr Michael Jones, came along to that meeting. When questioned by RoW, Cllr Jones strongly declared Cheshire East Council had a most robust 5 year supply plus 7% buffer. He was confident these figures would stand up to the most rigorous examination as the Council had been assisted and advised by a former Inspector who had overseen the latest attempt at a Local Plan.
Nonetheless, in spite of Cllr Jones' assurances, RoW reiterated it was still very concerned with the strength, validity and strategy of a wide number of aspects within that plan. In other words, we did not feel assured or confident.
A few days later a RoW colleague and I attended a meeting at the Council's offices with the Deputy Leader, Cllr. David Brown, and a number of planning officials.
I asked Cllr Brown the following question - "With reference to Nick Boles' new planning guidelines, as of the 6th March, which states that housing requirements MUST NOT be met by intrusion into the green belt, are you proposing to abide by these new guidelines with regard to the former Macclesfield Borough's green belt?". The answer was a categorical "NO".
"Why not?", I asked. The answer was that the Council had done its work, the book was closed. I asked if they were aware that at a recent Inspector's hearing, the Inspector had reminded counsel acting for both the council & the "developer", that the hearing will be conducted under the new rules of the 6th March? Planning officers expressed surprise & or knowledge of such hearing
or the change of rules for hearings.
Does that say about all we need to know about CE and its officials?
A landmark bill that heralds a ground-breaking shift in power to councils and communities overturning decades of central government control was unveiled by Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles today.
The Localism Bill will put an end to the hoarding of power within central government and top-down control of communities, allowing local people the freedom to run their lives and neighbourhoods in their own way.
December 2010.
MJ’s reputation is not within his own control..... it is attributed by the electorate who..... in good faith ....... put him in a position of trust in the first instance....... only to be let them down on several issues........Leader ?..... Really ? Value grounded by actions / facts / truth and clarity can be justified objectively.... Im sure MJ is a decent bloke but he has damaged the reputation of himself and his party....... The first person ( independent or otherwise) whose actions and words are measured with clarity to represent electorate will do much better.
MJ gave assurance “focus on delivery in the community” there would be “No Fracking in CEC”, similarly “No development at Adlington road”, ..So when does the development start ? is it the same time that the derrick’s arrive in Malpas ??
Yesterday I spoke to two very reputable teachers from Wilmslow High School, who are concerned that they are oversubscribed, they physically can’t accommodate more students.....Saturation point has been reached MJ in more ways than one ! Roll on the elections.