Council beefs up planning guidance for housing schemes

Cheshire East Council has beefed up its guidance to developers around housing schemes.

Affordable housing and accommodation for the elderly are key features of a new housing supplementary planning document (SPD) that has been formally adopted.

The document provides more guidance on several key policies in the council’s Local Plan Strategy, an over-arching blueprint which sets out the overall vision and planning framework for the borough to 2030. 

The housing SPD policies cover residential mix, including older people’s accommodation and affordable housing, among other matters.

Councillor Mick Warren, chair of Cheshire East Council’s environment and communities committee, which approved the document at its meeting earlier this month, said: “While the supplementary planning document (SPD) is not part of our statutory development plan, it is a recognised way of introducing additional planning guidance, which should be taken into account when determining relevant planning applications, or an appeal against a planning decision. 

“The document will help us all be clear on how these really important policies should be applied in practice.”

The adopted SPD is accompanied by an adoption statement and a report summarising the responses received during consultation on the final draft of the SPD late last year. 

Cllr Warren added: “By providing clear guidance ‘up front’ about policy expectations, we want to support the planning application process, as well as assist the council in determining these applications.” 

Cheshire East Council’s local plan strategy (LPS) was adopted in July 2017. It is the council’s strategic blueprint for housing, infrastructure and employment development across the borough to 2030.

The second part of the council’s Local Plan, the site allocations and development policies document (SADPD), is currently undergoing public examination by a planning inspector, following its submission to the secretary of state. The third and final element of the Local Plan, the waste and minerals plan, will be coming forward for consultation this autumn.