Councillors deferred up to 90 homes on Green Belt farmland at School Lane, Guilden Sutton, on 3 November. What officers recommended, and why it went back.

Updated 4 November: councillors unanimously deferred this application on 3 November, so officers can talk to the developer about links to the Millennium Greenway. Read what happened. This story, first published on 26 October, explains what they were asked to decide.

Council planners are recommending up to 90 homes on Green Belt farmland at Guilden Sutton, on the eastern edge of Chester. Their case is that the field counts as “grey belt” under the national planning rules. Councillors decide on Tuesday 3 November.

The site is about 3.18 hectares of farmland north of School Lane. The applicant is Beck Homes. The application is in outline, so only the access is fixed now.

The officer’s report says the case went to committee because it raises a “substantive issue” about how the revised grey belt rules apply to a major housing scheme outside a settlement. It is the only application on the 3 November agenda.

Why officers say the Green Belt rule does not block it

Under the National Planning Policy Framework, new homes in the Green Belt are not “inappropriate” if four tests are met. The report finds all four are passed:

Test Officers’ view
Is it grey belt land? Yes. Guilden Sutton is a village, not a large built-up area or a town, and the field has no real link to the setting of historic Chester, about 1.7km west
Is there an unmet need? Yes. The council cannot show a five-year supply of housing land
Is it a sustainable location? Yes. The school, village hall, church, pub and post office are within about 800 metres
Does it meet the “Golden Rules”? Yes, with 45% affordable homes, infrastructure payments and new green space

Officers accept the field does stop the countryside being built on. They call that contribution “relatively weak”, because the site is enclosed on three sides by housing and School Lane.

They also accept the scheme conflicts with the adopted Local Plan, because it is outside the settlement boundary. Their view is that the national rules now carry more weight.

Who objects

The report records more than 120 letters of objection, three in support and three neutral.

  • Guilden Sutton Parish Council objects. It says the scheme is inappropriate Green Belt development, would erode the village’s rural character, and raises drainage, flooding and road safety concerns.
  • Sarah Pochin, MP for Runcorn and Helsby, objects on Green Belt, traffic, flooding and precedent grounds.
  • Ward councillor Margaret Parker asked for a committee decision on the grounds that it is inappropriate development in the Green Belt.
  • A School Lane residents’ group has sent a detailed submission.

Residents’ concerns, as the report summarises them, include:

  • the new access onto School Lane and its closeness to other junctions
  • narrow roads and missing footways, including for children walking to school
  • the School Lane, Station Lane and Wicker Lane junction, and the A41 junction
  • flooding and sewer capacity
  • no GP in the village
  • whether the site really meets the grey belt definition

What the developer would provide

Beck Homes’ planning statement says it currently intends every home to be affordable. The report does not rely on that. It recommends a legal agreement securing at least 45%, split 60% affordable rent and 40% affordable home ownership.

Other obligations in the recommendation:

  • £90,000 towards improving the A41 and Guilden Sutton Lane junction
  • £30,000 to resurface the restricted byway north of the site, which links Hooks Wood to the Greenway
  • payments for education, parks, play and sports pitches, worked out per home at the reserved matters stage
  • an £11,773.32 biodiversity net gain monitoring fee

The council’s highways officer expects about 45 extra two-way car trips in the peak hour. Most outbound traffic would head for the A41 via Guilden Sutton Lane, raising traffic on that approach by 20%. That is why the junction payment is sought.

One protected oak on School Lane would be felled to make way for a footpath and cycle link to the bus stop. Three replacement trees would be planted.

What it means for you

  • You can watch. The meeting starts at 4pm at Ellesmere Port Library and is webcast at cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/webcasts.
  • To speak, email planning.committee@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk. Each application gets one objector and one supporter, so people on the same side are asked to combine.
  • A recommendation is not a decision. On 6 October the same committee approved all three schemes in front of it, one of them by 6 votes to 3.
  • If it is approved, layout, house types and the final number of homes come back in a reserved matters application, which is consulted on again.

The reference is 26/00830/OUT. We will report the outcome. For other schemes near you, see our Chester planning news page.