Planners won't budge on stables plan

PLANNING chiefs have refused to budge on an application to vary conditions on a controversial development on Green Belt land at Warrington.
Members of the borough council’s planning committee refused to grant permission to allow changes to an access track for a stables development on land off Petersfield Gardens, Culcheth.
The proposals led to a lengthy planning battle starting in 2007 when proposals for a block of 10 stables were put ward.
A year later an amended scheme involving eight stables was refused and in 2010 the present scheme, involving three stables, tack room and associated access and hardstanding was approved.
When an application arrived to amend the access proposals nearly 20 nearby residents, borough councillor Chris Vobe and Culcheth and Glazebury Parish Council all lodged objections.
Parish councillors said the proposed access was incompatible with the rural setting and unnecessary.
Neighbours feared there were plans to develop the site for housing, that any change to the conditions could lead to further changes and increase traffic problems.
They also believed there would be an impact on the Green Belt and that there was no need or justification for the proposals.
Planning officers recommended the amendments be approved and said the proposed changes to the scheme were not significant in visual terms.
They said the proposed changes to the access track were 57 metres away from neighbouring properties and would reduce the width of the central section of the access track from 1.2 metres wide to one metre.
But the committee threw out the application.