The developers of the Parkers Road development have submitted to the Cheshire East strategic planning board a request to reduce the numbers of affordable houses they agreed to provide on the site from 140 to just 40 houses, and that most of 106 agreement monies are to be paid over 5 years or when the last house is sold.
Having spent almost 2 year trying to renegotiate the 106 agreements, they are now claiming that it no longer viable to provide all 140 affordable houses.
This is the same developer who, in the near future, is likely to be submitting an application to build another 1000 houses on Minshull New Road, just a few hundred yards from Parkers Road.
I am told these houses are needed to support the workforce of Bentley and Leighton Hospital.
Why would any property developer want to build another 1000 new homes, a few hundred yards from a site they claim is unviable?
Many young people can’t afford the massive deposits needed to buy their own home, many are living with parents or forced to pay private landlords sky high rents, and it is certain there are very few young people who wanted to buy their first home, will be able to afford one of the new houses, developers are planning to build on Parkers Road.
There is currently no social housing or affordable housing within Leighton, therefore is a very real need for affordable housing with the area.
Local residents were against the Parkers Road development and despite this, planning permission was granted. If housing developers insist on forcing unwanted developments in the local countryside then they should be forced to give back as much as possible to the local community in return.
If this request is passed, they will see this as a green light to keep returning with more requests for further reductions not only for the Parkers Road site, but also for the proposed houses on Minshull New Road.
Though I am in support of building new houses for the workforce of Bentley and the hospital, I feel that I cannot support anything being built by developers, who are seemingly prepared to agree to anything such as new schools, new play areas and affordable housing, knowing that once permission is given, they will be doing all they can to get out of any agreements they have made.
If it is not viable to build these houses, don’t build them.
Derek Bebbington
Leighton Ward, Cheshire East Council
Cheshire East best looking Councillor
8a Weaver View, Church Minshull, Cheshire CW5 6EB
Tel: 01270 522902
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