20 homes and apartments at Land Adjacent To Willow End, 31 Moss Lane, Styal, Wilmslow

What was proposed

The application sought 10 detached houses, a three-storey block of 10 apartments, new access, parking, open space and drainage works.

“The proposals seek full planning permission for ‘Erection of 10 No Detached dwellinghouses and two storey building consisting of 10No Apartments’. A new highways access is proposed slightly off-centre to the North off Moss Lane. The new access leads to a T shaped road layout of which the 10no. detached houses are proposed. A gravel track leading to the 10no. apartments from the new access road is also proposed and is where 8no.”

“The 10no. apartments are proposed in 1no. block, three storeys in scale and located to the North West of the plot. 6no. one bedroom and 4no. two bedroom apartments are proposed. A communal landscaped area is planned to the rear (South). The houses are proposed as 4no. Type 1 four bedroom, two storey detached and 6no. Type 2 four bedroom, two storey detached units. 2no. of the houses will benefit from a double garage. Otherwise, each dwelling is proposed with 2no.”

Officer report

The site and surroundings

The undeveloped Green Belt site is beside a rural lane, near Manchester Airport, with hedgerows, trees, a pond and surface-water flooding issues.

“The site is undeveloped, green field and flat in nature. The site is currently served by an agricultural field access gate leading from/onto Moss Lane, Styal. The site is located within the Green Belt and has open fields to the South (rear).”

“The site is also located in the GEN5 Aerodrome safeguarding area, partially within Manchester Airport Noise Contours 2019 (Day) Aircraft Noise: 54-57dB LAeq, 16 hour (day), Manchester Airport Noise Contours 2019 (Night) Aircraft Noise: 48-51Db LAeq, 8 HOUR (Night) and Open Countryside. The boundary of Manchester Airport functional aerodrome is 500m from the North West corner of the site and aircraft are readily visible and audible from the site.”

Officer report

Officers’ recommendation

Officers recommended refusal because the development was inappropriate in the Green Belt and created several sustainability, design, access, amenity and environmental problems.

“The principle of development is not acceptable as the proposals do not adhere to any of the exceptional forms of development within the Green Belt.”

“The development is considered to be unsustainable on the whole and there are no very special circumstances which exist to outweigh the harm to the Green Belt by reasons of inappropriateness. The application is therefore recommended for refusal.”

Officer report

Who spoke

The agent attended and spoke in relation to the application.

The committee’s vote

The committee resolved to refuse the application as detailed in the officer recommendation.

“That the application be REFUSED as detailed in the Officer recommendation for the following reasons;”

Minutes

Why permission was refused

The recorded reasons covered Green Belt harm, housing mix, design, residential amenity, highways, airport safety, flooding, biodiversity, hedgerows and open space.

“Inappropriate development within the Green Belt: The proposals represent inappropriate development within the Green Belt. The development failed to meet the exceptional development criteria for grey belt land as the proposals include development on land with existing/future high surface water flood risk and in an unsustainable location.”

“Detrimental impacts on residential amenity due to lack of internal space within dwellings, lack of adaptable dwellings, lack of spatial distancing between form resulting in overbearing impacts and overshadowing of amenity areas and habitable rooms.”

Minutes