Crewe housing estate decision delayed over contaminated land

Coppenhall Place in Crewe currently has no planning permission

A decision on the future of a housing estate with no planning permission has been delayed.

Cheshire East Council voted to defer the retrospective application for Coppenhall Place, Crewe, during a meeting on Wednesday.

Its previous permission became invalid after concerns over contaminated land.

Officers had recommended the retrospective application be approved as they said there was no danger to human health.

During the meeting, a councillor asked the developer's representative to eat a potato, which was grown on the land, and they did after stating it was safe.

The estate on the site of the former Crewe Works on West Street was originally given planning permission in 2018 and had since been built, with the majority of homes now occupied.

But because developer Countryside Partnerships failed to deal with a condition relating to contaminated land at the site, the permission became void.

The meeting heard this led to outrage from councillors and residents, with many worried over the value of homeowners' properties and the potential impact on their health.

Countryside previously said it had been working closely with the council's environmental officers to provide the necessary information and undertake further work on the site.

Building materials in soil

Planning officers told Wednesday's Strategic Planning Board meeting that residents had complained about the soil in some of the gardens on the 263-home estate.

One homeowner was said to have found building materials in the soil at a depth of 200mm (7 inches).

Committee member councillor Steven Edgar brought some potatoes which he said were grown in the land at Coppenhall Place and offered them to the developer's representative.

Mr Edgar asked: "Are these potatoes safe to eat or is the ground contaminated?"

Countryside's representative said they were safe to eat and added they had "all the lab testing back" before he ate one.

'Pre-works were not instigated'

As well as recommending the application be approved, officers also recommended additional contributions from the developer towards special educational needs funding and the installation of electric vehicle charging points.

But councillor Laura Crane proposed to defer the application as she stated more information was needed about the contamination in the gardens.

"I don't trust that these measures will be delivered. We have already seen that pre-works were not instigated," she said.

She also requested the developer and officers explore the possible improvement of the open space at the site and members cited the potential for a play area or benches.

Councillors voted to defer the application with eight members voting in favour of Ms Crane's proposal.