The future of 130 local jobs are now under threat after the Strategic Planning Committee refused planning permission for a new car dealership with a showroom, workshops, and offices at Coppice Way in Handforth.
Halliwell Jones were refused planning permission for a modern car showroom adjacent to Handforth Dean retail park which would have enabled them to consolidate their sales, servicing and repair activities - securing 133 existing jobs and created approximately 36 new jobs.
Speaking at the Strategic Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, 1st August, the applicant Phillip Jones urged them to approve application saying "I promised each of you I will have constructed a building which sits well in Wilmslow and which will be of support to many families, not just in my business but also in the local community where I am very heavily involved."
Mr Jones is the MD of Halliwell Jones, a North West based company of 30 years standing which now employs over 600 people across the north west.
Speaking about the planning officers recommendation for refusal, after 10 years of searching for a new site, he said "This is despite not so long ago during discussions with us stating it was of high quality and ticked all the boxes.
He continued "The recommendation today is therefore confusing, disappointing and potentially catastrophic for my business and indeed many of his employees.
"The risk to over 130 jobs at Wilmslow, many of which could be classed as heads of family jobs, they are very highly technical. So your decision today does not just affect 130 people it affects 130 families."
Mr Jones brought with him 'official documentation' sent to him from two senior directors of BMW UK which said "is not threatening to remove my Wilmslow franchise. It is in fact an absolute letter of termination."
He continued "It's a termination of my business effective from the 30th September this year. Subsequently upon my appeal it has been deferred until June 2019 subject to being resindered only if I have in place by this time concrete and approved, local authority and BMW plans for my development."
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ii. Contribute positively to an area’s character and identity, creating or reinforcing local
distinctiveness in terms of:
a. Height, scale, form and grouping;
b. Choice of materials;
c. External design features;
d. Massing of development - the balance between built form and green/public spaces;
e. Green infrastructure; and
f. Relationship to neighbouring properties, street scene and the wider neighbourhood;
The proposed site has no 'character or identity' , it is a wasteland. It is cheek by jowl with a retail park, ideal to most observers. Not adjacent to housing and in no way adversely affecting residential amenity. This same case officer recommended approval of the Lidl development at Summerfields Village, on the basis of policy SD2, next to a residential red brick housing development with the words " I consider it to be a welcome relief from all the red brick that surrounds it, and can be accommodated into this area without any significant harm to the character and appearance of the locality".
Surely the interpretation of policy SE1 by this case officer is relevant? :
1. Sense of place
i. Ensuring design solutions achieve a sense of place by protecting and enhancing the
quality, distinctiveness and character of settlements;
ii. Ensuring sensitivity of design in proximity to designated and local heritage assets and
their settings;
iii. Ensuring that places are designed around the needs and comfort of people and not
vehicles, so that layout, street design and parking is in accordance with the principles
set out in Policy CO 1 and Manual for Streets;
iv. Ensuring that proposals are underpinned by character and design assessment
commensurate with the scale and complexity of the development;
v. Encouraging innovative and creative design solutions that are appropriate to the local
context; and
vi. Ensuring a high quality public realm that enhances conditions for pedestrians and
cyclists and creates opportunities for social interaction.
Not so - the proposed BMW site at Handforth Dean has no 'sense of place' - it is a stand alone development in keeping with a retail park. Ideal from Joe Public's point of view, not interfering in any way with residents and their right to 'peaceful enjoyment' of their homes.
So we have a Cheshire East planning case officer interpreting Cheshire East planning policies to fit his own agenda. We must ask - why is the BMW application so wrong and the Lidl application so right, in relation to these policies?
There are obviously other factors at play.
1. Planning Committee members are like lambs to the slaughter - the case officer says its OK so surely it must be OK? Or vice versa. Certain members of these committees have no grasp of their own policies. They have no grasp of the local identity and care even less. More importantly they have no bottle and most cannot think for themselves.
2. Maybe Mr Jones needs a teach-in with Lidl management or Orbit Developments Ltd as how to best approach Cheshire East Council when planning his company's future.
3. Watch this site for future applications to develop it and then compare the case officer's recommendation with this one.
4.It is clearly no so much about policies but more in keeping with a joke 'it is how you tell 'em.'
I clearly have sympathy with Mr. Jones but at the same time it is important to know which buttons to push, if you want to get anywhere with these Development Managers and planning committee members at Cheshire East Council.
It was very clear then that regardless of what the new store looked like, no matter how close it was to existing homes, no matter the huge volume of objections from residents (and even from the Cheshire East own in house Urban Design team ) Cheshire East Planning had very much made their mind up.
We have folowed the Lidl case, and this application very carefully and studied the supporting documentation in depth.
And we're frankly amazed at this outcome. Talk about double standards and injustice from Cheshire East planning !
Sadly, it's too late to have any further influence on the Lidl debacle but let's hope Halliwell Jones appeal and win.
And oh, this time residents get something appropriate in scale and style on Summerfields Village when Halliwell Jones finally close the doors on their current Mini dealership and move to Handforth Dean....
SUMMERFIELDS RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
And Terry Roeves may well be correct.
I would be interested to know where CEC personnel live, wouldn't you?
It strikes me that it makes no sense refusing an application for a purpose built facility in a location that has no detrimental effect on its immediate surroundings.
It is not specific on what grounds the application is refused, just SD2 & SE1 - Is it the colour of the Bricks, the size of the windows?? Did they give Mr Jones details of what they will accept, or is that outside their remit!
Whatever it is, the planners need to get a reality check - Can we afford to loose that many jobs in the area?