This document summarizes housing and planning updates in Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester. In Cheshire East, the Site Allocations DPD is focusing development in local service centers, and there are extensive neighborhood plans. The council claims a 7.5 year housing land supply but this could be challenged. In Cheshire West, the 5-year Local Plan review is required but no action plan is in place. The council's housing land supply calculation of 5-6 years could also face challenges. Examples are provided of housing developments on brownfield and green belt sites that were approved through utilizing existing building footprints.

1. Cheshire Resi Update
Place NW Presentation

2. IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO!
• Cheshire East - Site Allocations DPD, NPs & 5YS
• Cheshire West - Local Plan Review, 5YS & Project
Examples

3. Cheshire East
• Part 1 Local Plan – Recap
• Very long production and examination process
• Adopted in July 2017
• 20 Year Plan Period (2010-2030)
• 36,000 homes (1,800 per annum)
• Strategic site allocations around Principal Towns and KSC inc. Green Belt
release
• Some developed but still a good number available and at various stages
• Undefined in Part 1 and left to Part 2 Local Plan
◦ 3,500 homes in Local Service Centres
◦ 3,000 homes in smaller villages
◦ 400 in Central Crewe, and
◦ 500 in Central Macclesfield
• 36,000 homes figure was based on an economic forecast of 31,000 new jobs
(0.7%)
• Since 2010 there have been 21,000 jobs created (1.4%) so hit 67% of their
target.
• However, since Brexit ref jobs growth reduced to 0.3%.

4. Cheshire East
• Site Allocations DPD - Things to be aware of:
• Additional Sites/Distribution focused on 13 Local Service Centres.
• No small site allocations within Principle Towns (Macclesfield or Crewe)
• Green Belt - No detailed review of village settlement boundaries or ‘washed
over’ villages undertaken to omit land that no longer serves the purpose of
Green Belt.
• Local Landscape Designations – Nine large areas across Borough. No
bespoke policies for each other than Peak fringe (preserve and enhance
landscape). Policy SD4 in Part 1 Local Plan.
• Airport Noise Policy – Highly restrictive over Mobberley and Knutsford.
Policy goes beyond National Guidance on this matter.
• Green Gap – No further strategic review of boundaries around Crewe &
Nantwich. Some slight alterations
• Jodrell Bank - Very restrictive around Holmes Chapel and Congleton area.
• So where are Cheshire East going to go next as part of full LP Review?
• Will we go back to the appeal playground of Crewe and Sandbach?

5. Cheshire East
• Extensive Neighbourhood Plan
Coverage.
• 28x Made/Adopted (Purple)
• 5x Examination stage (Red),
• 4x Regulation 14 Draft (Dark Green),
• 19x Under Preparation (Green)
• Typically a tad unneighbourly!
• Can provide useful direction and
references to easy wins.
• Policies can reference other key
documents (e.g. Knutsford Design
Guide and Knutsford Character
Assessment).
• 5 year supply threshold drops to 3
years if housing allocations made.
• However, no residential allocations.

6. Cheshire East
• 5 Year Supply – Things to be aware of:
• Housing supply monitoring report issued 7th November 2019.
• Claims 5 year supply of 17,733 homes (7.5 Years Supply).
• Applies ‘Sedgepool 8’ approach + 5% buffer = 5 year need of 11,802.
• ‘Sedgepool 8’ confirmed at Local Plan EiP date. Can Council continually
push 8 year horizon forward?
• Traditional Sedgefield approach = 5 year need of 13,211.
• Successful 5YS Appeal Case = Win Sedgfield & remove >25% of Supply.
• ‘Realistic prospect’ / St Modwen court case.
• NPPF new definition of ‘deliverable’.
• A sites = 10,815 homes (sites Under Construction or with Full Planning).
• B sites + others = 6,839 (mainly outline / allocated / subject to s106).
• T2T Tango! Council’s job is not complete on B sites.
• Developer can’t start until s106, RM and conditions all signed off by LPA!

7. Cheshire West
& Chester
Update
• Adopted Local Plans
• 5 – year Local Plan Review
• 5 – year housing land supply
update
• Case Studies:
◦ Green Belt
◦ Brownfield

8. Local Plan Update
• Cheshire West and Chester Local Plan – Part One:
• Adopted - 29th January 2015.
• 5-year Local Plan Review – TCPA Regulations require a formal review of
Local Plans every 5 years following their adoption to ensure it is effective and
kept up to date.
• Local Plan Review – Required by 29th January 2020. No action plan in place.
• Cheshire West and Chester Local Plan – Part Two:
• Adopted – 18th July 2019.
• Redefined Settlement Boundaries – For key and local service centres,
development restricted beyond these boundaries.
• Land Allocations and Detailed Policies – Replacing those remaining policies
from the Chester, Ellesmere Port and Vale Royal Local Plans

9. Local Plan Review
• Paragraph 33 of NPPF requires Local Plan development strategies to be updated every 5
years.
• No clear process by which a Local Plan should be reviewed.
• NPPF updated in February 2019 with changes that supersede part 1 of the Local Plan.
• Updates of strategic policy to respond to these changes.
• Examples may include updated STRAT 9 in line with para 170(b) of NPPF.
• Changes in Local Housing Need - Council could reduce requirement in line with new OAN
figures.
• Housing Delivery Test performance.
• Deliverability of key site allocations.
• Significant economic changes on a local or national scale which impacts viability.
• Success of policies against indicators in Development Plan.
• If no review is undertaken it is up to the decision maker as to the weight to be provided to
relevant policies. Likely to be dependent on accordance with NPPF.

10. Cheshire West & Chester
5-Year Housing Land Supply
• Council claimed over 7,000 deliver homes.
• Secretary of State confirmed 5,838 deliverable homes in Darnhall Estate
appeal.
• Method of dealing with past over supply is disputed.
• Represents a housing supply between 5.05 and 5.67 years as of 4th Nov 2019.
• Large site allocations in Northwich, Winsford, Ellesmere Port and Chester
provides question marks over deliverable supply.
• Potential for sites to stall due to viability and remediation concerns.
• Potential for further 5-year housing supply challenges over next few of years.
• Fallout from Denhall Estate appeal may lead to a more detailed LP Review.
• Also change in definition of ‘deliverable’ sites since adoption of Part 1 LP.

11. Conclusion
• Council’s 5 Year Housing Supply not as large as previously thought – Could this
pave the way for more speculative applications and appeals?
• 5-year Local Plan Review is important and could lead to strategic policy changes
across the Borough – What impact will updated housing numbers and updated NPPF
have on part one of the Local Plan?
• How Deliverable are the Council’s current housing allocations – Could this lead to
an additional housing land review?

12. • Decoy Farm
• Planning permission for 24 dwellings and 24
commercial (B1) units
• Site comprised of commercial/ industrial former
agricultural yard with B1, B2 and B8 consent.
• The site is allocated within the designated Green
Belt.
• The application was granted at Appeal due to its
sustainable live/work concept and the fact there
would be neutral impact on the openness of the
Green Belt. The design of the scheme utilised the
volume and footprint of the commercial buildings
to be demolished.
• Pegasus dealt with this project from the outline
planning right through to reserved matters and
discharge of conditions.
• The final conditions where discharged last week
and now the developer is beginning on site.
Green Belt Consents

13. • Lyndale Farm
• The Decoy Farm application was also utilised
at Lyndale Farm, Pulford with a similar
scheme of 23 live/work units.
• Demonstrated to the LPA that the site had
been used as commercial use for a period of
10 years plus continuously
• This led to the application site being
considered as Brownfield Land within the
allocated Green Belt.
• Application submitted utilising the volume and
footprint of the existing buildings to be
demolished to form a live/ work scheme,
meaning there would also be neutral impact
on the openness of the Green Belt.
• This application is currently being built out.
Green Belt Consents

14. • Old Government House, Chester
• Grade II listed building on Chester’s historic
waterfront.
• Planning and Listed Building consent granted for part
conversion of existing office buildings, demolition of
extension and development of new build apartments to
create 9 residential units with associated landscaping,
parking and boathouse
• This development is now near to completion on site.
• Meadow Lane, Ellesmere Port
• Current pending proposal for 187 homes in Ellesmere
Port
• Development is to include over 50% affordable homes
• Site is the former Van Leer Factory and is brownfield
so remediation required
• On the edge of a conservation area being the
Shropshire Union Canal
• Bringing a brownfield site back in to use leading to
multiple social, economic and environmental benefits
Brownfield Sites

15. Cheshire Resi Update
Presentation to Place North West
Contact:
Seb Tibenham: sebastian.tibenham@pegasusgroup.co.uk
Neil Culkin: neil.culkin@pegasusgroup.co.uk