Numerous homeowners are facing the prospect of potential demolition of their newly constructed homes in Crewe, Cheshire, as the entire estate was built without proper planning permission, as reported by Manchester Evening News.
The 263 residents residing in the properties await their fate after discovering that their homes may be torn down. In 2018, Countryside Partnerships received approval to develop the Coppenhall Place on the former Crewe Works site.
However, the permission was revoked last year due to the developer’s failure to address a condition related to contaminated land, despite the completion of the construction.
In late March, Cheshire East’s strategic planning board postponed Countryside’s application for a review and assessment concerning the contaminated land issue. More than five months later, the Cheshire East Council has informed the Local Democracy Reporting Service that it anticipates handling the application in September, as reported by CheshireLive.
The council is set to proceed with a meeting this month to decide the fate of the 263-home estate and discuss the subsequent steps for the residents. A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council stated:
“Over the last few months, council officers have continued to work closely with the developers of Coppenhall Place to ensure that each reason for the application being deferred is addressed, and so that strategic planning board members have all the necessary information once the application is presented back to them.
it is currently expected that the application will be presented back to the strategic planning board in September.”
The leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt MP, said:
“How on earth does a local authority enable and watch homes being built, in the full knowledge that they have not been through the systems in its planning department?,” said Ms Mordaunt back in May.
This is a disgraceful situation, and the developer and the local authority need to step up and deliver on their moral obligations to the individuals who bought those homes in good faith.”
