Plans to build three houses on a Congleton site earmarked for a medical centre 'reek of over-development and speculation', a Cheshire East councillor said.

Permission to build up to 120 homes, together with a 180 sqm health-related development, on land off Padgbury Lane was granted at appeal in 2015.

With the three-year expiry date for the medical centre passed, Stewart Milne Homes applied to Cheshire East for permission to build an extra three houses on the land at the junction of Thistle Way and Padgbury Lane instead.

The council's planning officers recommended the scheme be approved.

Despite being planned for eight years, the non-existent medical centre could be replaced by three homes.

But members of the southern planning committee turned down the application on Wednesday (January 11) on the grounds it would result in over-development of the site and a cramped form of development.

Cllr Anthony Critchley (Crewe Central, Lab) told the meeting: "This reeks of over-development, it reeks of speculation.

"We haven't got the developer to ask questions to – I don't know if they sent apologies or just can't be a**** to turned up – but the whole development itself was speculative."

Cllr David Marren (Shavington, Ind) said: "My view is there's too much squeezed into this space."

He proposed refusal on the basis of over-development.

Constructors at a separate site on Padgbury Lane.

Middlewich councillor Mike Hunter (Lab) seconded the proposal to refuse saying: "It reeks to me of somebody from the development group that's gone round and said 'oh we've got a little bit of space there, we'll bang a few more houses on it'."

He added: "I'm extremely upset that they haven't even bothered to send an agent to answer any questions that any of the councillors might wish to put to them, because there's a few I'd like to put to them."

The committee had heard from ward councillor Suzie Akers Smith (Ind), speaking as a visiting member, that some residents bought houses believing there was going to be a medical centre built.

"The developer may have known there was no chance of funding it through the NHS and would simply wait, and the three-year deadline to build the medical centre would expire, which is what has happened," said Cllr Akers Smith.

Suzie Akers Smith listed ten reasons for objection.

"What should happen to that land should have been picked up in the original planning consent and it should have been stipulated to be left as green open space. This didn't happen and councillors now have the opportunity to fix this anomaly."

She then listed another nine reasons why she believed the application should be refused.

Congleton Town councillor Amanda Martin said originally the developer wanted to put four houses on the site but had since reduced the number.

"Considering the small size of the plot, even three houses is too many to crowd onto the site," she told the committee.

Conservative Congleton Town Councillor Amanda Martin.

She listed several reasons the town council believed the scheme should be refused, including the two houses facing on to Thistle Way are out of keeping with the street scene and residents' fears that the development would make the access onto Padgbury Lane dangerous by obscuring the view.

The application was turned down with nine councillors voting to refuse and one abstaining.

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