Officers again recommend 240 homes off Dunkirk Way for approval after September's deferral. Also on 6 October: 86 homes at Kelsall and a Northwich biogas expansion.
A plan for 240 homes in Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, returns to Cheshire West and Chester’s Planning Committee on Tuesday 6 October. Councillors put off a decision on 1 September because they wanted more detail on the traffic impact. Officers are again recommending approval.
The meeting starts at 4pm at Ellesmere Port Library on Civic Way. Two other large schemes are on the same agenda: up to 86 homes on farmland at Kelsall, and a bigger food waste plant at Lostock Gralam, near Northwich.
Great Sutton: 240 homes off Dunkirk Way
The applicant is Wain Homes North West. The site is land north of Dunkirk Way (the A5117), reached from Norwich Drive, about seven miles north of Chester. The officer’s supplementary report sets out the mix:
- 12 one-bedroom houses
- 72 two-bedroom houses
- 108 three-bedroom houses
- 41 four-bedroom houses
- 7 five-bedroom houses
The layout includes 2.96 hectares of public open space. It has to work around overhead power lines, a high-pressure gas main and an oil pipeline next to the site.
Why it was deferred
On 1 September the committee deferred the application. The report says members were concerned about the impact on the roads and wanted more detail on the off-site highway works.
The developer has since produced a highway clarification statement. It proposes:
- a puffin crossing and new bus stops on Dunkirk Way
- a £270,000 payment towards improving the Dunkirk Way and Gates Lane junction
The council, not the developer, would build the junction work. The report says a dedicated left-turn lane there was “investigated and agreed as suitable mitigation”. It could be replaced by another scheme from the council’s A5117 Corridor Study, which is still being drawn up.
The report estimates the homes would add about 200 vehicle movements in the peak hour, roughly three a minute. The council’s highways engineer has not objected.
The roundabout is the sticking point for many objectors. A roundabout on the A5117 at The Pastures was approved in 2017 under an earlier permission. Officers say it rests on modelling from years ago, and that the Gates Lane contribution is the better fix. The developer would still have to build it before the 101st home on The Pastures, where permission for 91 more homes (14/04966/FUL) still stands, the report says.
Who objects
More than 40 representations came in before September, none in support. Three more objections have arrived since. Saughall and Shotwick Parish Council objects on highway grounds. A Ledsham and Manor ward councillor also objects, and a Central and Grange ward councillor said they could not support it without transport investment.
Residents’ main concerns, as the report summarises them, are:
- congestion on the A5117 and Dunkirk Way
- a single access point, and Old Meadow Drive being too narrow
- flooding and drainage
- pressure on schools, GPs and dentists
- the pipelines close to new homes
What the developer would pay
If approved, the permission would come with a legal agreement. It would secure at least 10% affordable housing on site, which the housing officer puts at 24 homes, plus these payments:
- £1,178,509 for education, at primary and special educational needs level
- £527,873 for open space, sports pitches and changing facilities
- £270,000 for the Gates Lane junction
- £249,475 for healthcare
That totals £2,225,857. The application reference is 23/03825/FUL.
Kelsall: up to 86 homes at Green Lane Farm
Kelsall is about eight miles east of Chester. The outline application would demolish the buildings at Green Lane Farm and build up to 86 homes on about 3.65 hectares. It was first submitted for up to 99. The officer’s report recommends approval.
The site is outside Kelsall’s settlement boundary, in the countryside. Ward councillor Ted Lush called it in to committee. He is concerned it would blur the gap between Kelsall and Willington.
Officers accept the scheme conflicts with parts of the Kelsall and Willington Neighbourhood Plan. Their case for approval rests on housing supply. The report says the council “cannot currently demonstrate a five-year supply of deliverable housing sites”, and it gives substantial weight to the new homes.
- 30% of the homes would be affordable
- access would be from Common Lane, with emergency access from Green Lane
- footpaths on Common Lane would be widened to about two metres
Kelsall Parish Council objects. Its concerns include three-storey homes, parking and the housing mix. The report records about 49 letters of objection and 19 in support. The reference is 24/03791/OUT.
Lostock Gralam: a bigger food waste plant
The third item is at the former Renescience site on Griffiths Road, about 2km east of Northwich town centre. Northwich Biogas wants to expand the anaerobic digestion plant there. The report recommends granting it.
- capacity would rise from 144,000 to 177,000 tonnes a year of liquid food and organic waste
- the gas would be cleaned into biomethane and piped into the national gas grid
- carbon dioxide would be liquefied on site for the food industry
- lorry numbers would stay within the existing cap of 48 two-way trips a day on weekdays
Rudheath, Wincham and Lostock Gralam parish councils and Northwich Town Council all raised concerns about smell, noise or lorries. Three members of the public wrote in. None of the statutory consultees objects. The reference is 26/01251/FUL.
What it means for you
- You can watch. The meeting is webcast live at cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/webcasts.
- Speaking slots are limited. Each application gets one supporter and one objector. Requests go to planning.committee@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk, and several people on the same side will be asked to combine.
- A recommendation is not a decision. Councillors can go against officers, as the September deferral showed.
We will report the outcome. For other applications near you, see our Chester planning news page.
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