Affordable homes plan thrown out

A CONTROVERSIAL plan to build affordable homes on the fringe of the Green Belt at Warrington has been thrown out by a planning inspector.
The scheme involved three properties on a triangular piece of open land in Longbutt Lane, Lymm – opposite the junction with Grammar School Road.
It caused a storm of protest from nearby residents and was originally denied planning consent by the borough council.
An earlier scheme for the same site, involving a shop, was also rejected by planners.
The inspector who dealt with an appeal by the applicant said the site was conspicuous from a public footpath along its north western boundary and also from Longbutt Lane and Grammar School Road.
It had more visual affinity with open countryside than with nearby houses and the three proposed dwellings would look like an encroachment into the country and would be harmful to the Green Belt.
There was an objection from the Environment Agency, on the grounds that proposed culverting of a stream on the site would lead to an increased risk of flooding and also destroy wildlife habitats..
Highways chiefs expressed concern about increased road safety hazards, due to the narrowness of Longbutt Lane.
The inspector said the applicant had not explained how affordable homes, meeting a housing need, to be secured but concluded that in any event, the harm created by the development would not be outweighed by other factors.