A CONTROVERSIAL scheme to build 215 homes in Winsford has been given the final seal of approval.

A reserved matters application outlining designs for the development, in Rilshaw Lane, has been given the green light by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning officers.

The development will form part of the Station Quarter Urban Extension, which was identified in both CWAC’s local plan and Winsford’s neighbourhood plan, and was the subject of its own public consultation in 2015.

Sixty-four affordable homes will be built as part of the scheme, which has been produced by Lane End Developments and Trafford Housing Trust, as well as 151 open-market properties.

In approving the development, CWAC said: “The main layout, scale and appearance of the scheme is considered to be acceptable and in accordance with policy.

“Whilst there have been neighbour objections to the proposal, these are in the context that the principle of development is not supported.

“The development of the site has however been approved by way of the appeal being allowed.”

The proposal was first submitted in 2014 at the outline stage – when borough councils either reject or approve the principal of the development, but not the final design.

CWAC rejected the scheme, but this decision was overturned on appeal the following year, while a resubmission of the original planning application was also approved by CWAC after the Station Quarter Urban Extension plan had been developed.

A petition against the scheme in 2015 attracted 87 signatures, while 13 neighbours wrote to CWAC in opposition to the most recent planning application – with residents concerned about the development’s impact on wildlife, services and infrastructure, plus the loss of a rural location.

In a comment submitted to CWAC’s consultation, Rilshaw Lane residents Melanie and Huw Jones said: “In the green spaces around Rilshaw Lane there are great crested newts, rare species of birds, barn owls and more.

“The great crested newt is an endangered animal and lives in the long grass and wet areas in the fields.

“It is also a concern that the hedgerows need to be retained in order to sustain wildlife and help absorb the excessive water that congregates on the land.”

Neighbour Simon Troughton added: “Winsford as a town is already over-populated, with very few leisure facilities for people to use, and suffering from all the problems that brings.”