A developer which had planning permission to build up to 220 houses on a Congleton site, has been given the green light to construct a further 14 properties despite a condition which limited the total dwellings built already agreed.

Seddon Homes' reserved matters application for the erection of 62 dwellings and open space with associated landscaping at land off the Moorings, Congleton, was approved through delegated powers by a Cheshire East Council case officer on Thursday (16th April).

The principle of residential development was already accepted following the approval of Seddon's outline application, which was allowed following appeal for up to 220 dwellings across the wider site (which incorporates land around the Moorings, Goldfinch, Kestrel and Chaffinch Close and Quayside).

This proposal comprised the last reserved matters application on the site with previous phases now occupied or on going.

However, alongside the reserved matters plans, a separate standalone full application for 14 units was also submitted by Seddon's for a small part of the allocated site directly adjacent to Quayside.

Now that application has been approved, the overall number of units is 234 across the whole of the allocated site, as opposed to the 220 limited by condition at appeal.

A report by Cheshire East Council case officer Susan Orrell stated: "The unspoilt quality of the rural landscape around Lamberts Lane, so close to the town centre was the original justification for the limit of 220 units across the site being agreed by Seddon's and the Local Planning Authority."

This resulted in an overall number of units condition being agreed at appeal.

Ms Orrell continued: "The proposal for the 14 units adjacent to Quayside, which is a continuation of the overall development of the site would now result in 4% more units across the 13.5-hectare overall site. This is not considered perceptible in landscape terms.

"Whilst the reserved matters effectively allows up to 14 houses to be added to the overall tally across the wider site this is achieved without materially impacting upon density or character across the site."

Congleton Town Council objected to the application on a number of grounds, which included; layout and density of buildings, traffic generation, the site not forming part of Cheshire East Council's Local Plan and concerns that the section 106 money from the outline planning application had not had the traffic survey implemented.

There were four submitted objections by Congleton residents to the application, one of which highlighted the increase of houses on the site, contrary to the appeal which limited numbers to 220.

Nineteen of the 62 dwellings are for affordable tenure (30% as required by the outline permission).

Ms Orrell stated: "The development will not have a detrimental impact upon residential amenity, it would provide benefits in terms of affordable housing provision.

"Nineteen units of which 13 are affordable rent – 68% of all affordable, the remainder of which are shared equity and would help in the councils delivery of five year housing land supply from a site that has been incorporated within those housing figures.

Mitigation for highways impacts was dealt with as part of the outline approval, which sits in tandem with any reserved matters.

Impacts upon social infrastructure (education and health) were considered at outline stage when no provision was required.

Those issues were not re-visited as part of the reserved matters because the application related to the approval of the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the development for 62 units within a portion of the wider development site, centred around the Moorings part of the site.

Ms Orrell concluded: "The development of the site would provide a number of economic benefits in the residential use of the site.

"It is considered that the planning balance weighs in favour of this development."