Pickles approves 650 Northwich homes
COMMUNITIES secretary Eric Pickles has approved plans for 650 homes on the edge of Northwich, in Cheshire, after ruling the local authority could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.
Harrow Estates, a subsidairy of Ewloe-based housebuilder Redrow, has applied to build 300 houses at Grange Farm, Hartford, while Warrington-based Bridgemere Land has an application for 350 houses off School Lane.
Bridgemere is owned by Steve Morgan who is also Redrow’s chairman.
Their applications were turned down last year by Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) which feared the extra housing would add too much traffic to Hartford’s roads. The developers appealed against this decision and a public inquiry was held.
Inspector Stephen Roscoe recommended that both appeals be allowed and Mr Pickles has now said he agrees with the inspector’s conclusions.
In a letter he said the council’s “poor housing land supply situation renders the related local plan policies out of date [and] the appeal proposals, either in combination or individually, are necessary now to meet immediate housing need”.
